MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS MAINTENANCE SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME, AND MANAGEMENT METHOD

A management apparatus communicates, via a communication network, with image forming apparatuses, and includes an information reception device that receives, from each of the image forming apparatuses via the network, prediction-use information useful for predicting a latent image carrier surface contamination level due to discharge products generated during charging, a contamination level prediction device that, on the basis of the received prediction-use information, predicts the latent image carrier surface contamination level of the image forming apparatus corresponding to the prediction-use information, and an instruction transmission device that, if the predicted latent image carrier surface contamination level exceeds a predetermined allowable range, transmits an execution instruction to execute a contamination reduction operation of reducing the contamination of the surface of the latent image carrier due to the discharge products to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the latent image carrier surface contamination level via the network.