An Operational Research Approach to Planned Maintenance: Modelling P.M. for a Vehicle Fleet

A methodology is advanced for modelling the problem of planned preventive maintenance, thereby relating plant performance to maintenance activity. Ideas are discussed and developed within the context of a P.M. system for the maintenance of a vehicle fleet. Three specific questions are addressed: first, the omission of any desirable activities from the P.M. schedule, secondly, the presence of redundant items in the schedule, and thirdly, the consequences of different frequencies of application of the P.M. schedule. A fleet model is obtained relating the P.M. period to measures such as proportion of breakdown repairs and the cost per vehicle year.