Ranking of barriers for effective maintenance by using TOPSIS approach

TLDR

Globalization has heightened the importance of maintaining production systems, yet many organizations struggle with maintenance management challenges, underscoring the need for strong top‑management support. This study aims to identify and rank the primary barriers to effective maintenance management using a systematic approach. The authors applied the TOPSIS method, scoring barriers with a panel of three experienced maintenance experts. The top three barriers identified were lack of top‑management support, insufficient OEE measurement, and inadequate strategic planning, suggesting that improving OEE and strategic implementation can enhance maintenance effectiveness.

Abstract

Purpose – In present context of globalization, maintenance of production systems is very important. Many of the organizations are facing a lot of problems in maintenance management. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to identify the main barriers in maintenance management and to rank them for effective maintenance strategies. Design/methodology/approach – To rank the main barriers in maintenance management, technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution is used. For giving score to different factors a team of three experts was made. All experts were having more than ten years of experience in area of maintenance management. Findings – Lack of top management support, lack of measurement of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and lack of strategic planning and implementation have emerged as top three barriers in implementation of maintenance systems in industries. Research limitations/implications – Findings imply that for successful maintenance, top management should be very supportive for taking different initiatives, training programmes, etc. Organizations should try to improve overall performance of machines known as OEE rather than only machines productivity. Originality/value – These findings will be highly useful for professionals from manufacturing sector in implementing effective maintenance management system.