Combining Teleservice and DEPR for a Successful Maintenance Strategy

Turbulent market conditions have contributed to a great change in the way companies plan and carry out their production processes today. Maintenance has become increasingly important, with the focus no longer on fixing the machine when it breaks down, but making sure that break-downs occur less often and with less production time lost. Other aspects such as parts and material management, predictive and preventive maintenance are being taken more and more into consideration, which has created a need for new organisational and planning processes. These new requirements have led to a move away from the centralised, function-oriented structures of the past to decentralised, process-oriented process structures. Furthermore, current advances in computer technology and the internet have made it possible to control and check manufacturing processes with an accuracy that was unthinkable in the past. Decentralised equipment and process responsibility (DEPR), Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Preventive Maintenance are just some of the methods which have gained recognition in recent years. This paper describes how DEPR combined with teleservice and the application of internet technology can enhance the success rate in maintenance activities.