Developing a fuzzy optimized model for selecting a maintenance strategy in the paper industry: An integrated FGP-ANP-FMEA approach

Proper equipment maintenance can significantly reduce overall operating costs by boosting productivity. Management personnel often consider maintenance an expense; however, a more positive approach is to view maintenance as a profit center. Considering this new perspective, the requirements for maintenance management have changed drastically from the traditional concept of fix-it-when-broken to a more complex approach that entails adopting a maintenance strategy for a more integrated approach and alignment. This paper presents a Goal Programming (GP) approach to define the most cost-effective method for maintaining some critical pumps in the paper industry. The failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) criteria consider each machine failure's occurrence, severity, and detection. After determining the weights, the optimal strategy for each failure is calculated by solving the goal programming. Thus, FMEA can be used to design a network structure for each pump failure mode. For this purpose, the limitations and goals affecting the model are obtained from research literature and interviews with experts. Regarding resource utilization and failure reduction, the results demonstrate that predictive and preventive maintenance strategies are superior to corrective strategies. Therefore, these strategies can predict failures, provide helpful information to maintenance managers, and limit the negative aspects of a failure regarding safety and cost.