Asset management strategies using reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) analysis

Reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) analysis is used for various strategic purposes in the operations of productive assets to identify key points to apply improvements to. The conventional RAM approaches are, nevertheless, practical guides developed for case studies, not for analyses that consider any level of complexity asset. This paper presents a methodology for RAM analysis, which represents a logical pathway for analysts and operators of engineered systems to guide the decision-making of asset managers. For different scenarios, strategies to collect the required information are discussed as well as recommendations to make the asset more efficient. Due to the usual limitation of available resources in the companies, and prioritization maintenance actions that must be assertive to achieve the best possible efficiency during the operation, the methodology includes techniques to identify critical equipment as structural importance measures (Birnbaum, Risk Reduction Worth, Risk Achievement Worth). The proposed methodology is demonstrated by developing a RAM analysis for a heavy-duty truck. This type of vehicle is used for collecting cargo in a Colombian city. The case study results in operational, tactical, and strategic recommendations for operation and maintenance management professionals.