Developing Software Agents for Data Mining : [AIMM] Agents for Improving Maintenance Management

This report demonstrates the development of: • Development of software agents for data mining • Link data mining to building model in virtual environments • Link knowledge development with building model in virtual environments • Demonstration of software agents for data mining • Populate with maintenance data

Demonstration of Software Agents Prototype System : [AIMM] Agents for Improving Maintenance Management

This report presents the demonstration of software agents prototype system for improving maintenance management [AIMM] including: • Developing and implementing a user focused approach for mining the maintenance data of buildings. This report presents the demonstration of software agents prototype system for improving maintenance management [AIMM] including: • Developing and implementing a user focused approach for mining the maintenance data of buildings. • Refining the development of a multi agent system for data mining in virtual environments (Active Worlds) by developing and implementing a filtering agent on the results obtained from applying data mining techniques on the maintenance data. • Integrating the filtering agent within the multi agents system in an interactive networked multi-user 3D virtual environment. • Populating maintenance data and discovering new rules of knowledge.

Infrastructure asset : developing maintenance management capability

Purpose Maintenance management is a core process in infrastructure asset management. Infrastructure organisations must constantly strive to ensure the effectiveness of this process in order to obtain the greatest lifetime value from their infrastructure assets. This paper aims to investigate how infrastructure organisations can enhance the effectiveness of their maintenance management process. Approach This study utilised multiple case studies as the research approach. The case organisations were asked to identify the challenges faced in the maintenance process and the approaches they have adopted to overcome these challenges. Analysis of these findings, together with deductive reasoning, leads to the development of the proposed capability needed for effective maintenance management process. Findings The case studies reveal that maintenance management process is a core process in ensuring that infrastructure assets are optimally and functionally available to support business operations. However, the main challenge is the lack of skilled and experienced personnel to understand and anticipate maintenance requirement. A second challenge is the reduced window of time available to carry out inspection and maintenance works. To overcome these challenges, the case organisations have invested in technologies. However, technologies available to facilitate this process are complex and constantly changing. Consequently, there is a need for infrastructure organizations to develop their technological absorptive capability, i.e. the ability to embrace and capitalize on new technologies to enhance their maintenance management process. Originality/Value This paper is original in that it provides empirical evidence to identify technological absorptive capability as core to improving the maintenance management process. The findings are valuable because it sheds light on where infrastructure organisation, regardless of whether they are privately or publicly owned, should channel their scarce resources. The development of the core capability will ensure that the maintenance process can contribute value to their organisation.

Linking energy and maintenance management for sustainability through three American case studies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings and lessons learned from three case studies conducted for facilities located in California, North America. The findings aim to focus on energy and maintenance management practices and the interdependent link between energy and maintenance. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a positivist epistemological philosophical approach informed by action research. The research cycle was completed for each case study. A case study report was provided to each facility management team to foster collaboration with the researcher and to document case study process and results. Findings – Composite findings of the case studies include: there is an interdependent link between energy and maintenance management; reactive maintenance and energy management methods are commonly used; and more proactively operated and managed buildings require the interdependent link between energy maintenance management to be better understood. Research limitations/implications – The three case studies were located in California. Although the case study results can be generalized, determination of how to generalize and apply the results to commercial buildings outside of the USA is beyond the scope of this paper. Practical implications – Detailed discussion of the needs of the three facility management teams are discussed by identifying a current challenge, developing a solution and documenting lessons learned using the research cycle. Originality/value – The paper seeks to demonstrate the interdependencies of energy and maintenance management, two topics which are often researched interdependently. Additionally, the paper provides insight about maintenance management, a topic often cited as being under researched.

Maintenance management model for industrial Smes

This paper presents the design and results of the implementation of a model for the evaluation and improvement of maintenance management in industrial SMEs. A thorough review of the state of the art on maintenance management was conducted to determine the model variables; to characterize industrial SMEs, a questionnaire was developed with Likert variables collected in the previous step. Once validated the questionnaire, we applied the same to a group of seventy-five (75) SMEs in the industrial sector, located in Bolivar State, Venezuela. To identify the most relevant variables maintenance management, we used exploratory factor analysis technique applied to the data collected. The score obtained for all the companies evaluated (57% compliance), highlights the weakness of maintenance management in industrial SMEs, particularly in the areas of planning and continuous improvement; most SMEs are evaluated in corrective maintenance stage, and its performance standard only response to the occurrence of faults.

Maintenance management of public works and public utilities.

Mode of access: Internet.

Pavement maintenance management.

"November 1982."

Aeronautical equipment maintenance management policies and procedures.

"25 November 1988."

A facilities maintenance management process based on degradation prediction using sensed data

Energy efficiency and user comfort have recently become priorities in the Facility Management (FM) sector. This has resulted in the use of innovative building components, such as thermal solar panels, heat pumps, etc., as they have potential to provide better performance, energy savings and increased user comfort. However, as the complexity of components increases, the requirement for maintenance management also increases. The standard routine for building maintenance is inspection which results in repairs or replacement when a fault is found. This routine leads to unnecessary inspections which have a cost with respect to downtime of a component and work hours. This research proposes an alternative routine: performing building maintenance at the point in time when the component is degrading and requires maintenance, thus reducing the frequency of unnecessary inspections. This thesis demonstrates that statistical techniques can be used as part of a maintenance management methodology to invoke maintenance before failure occurs. The proposed FM process is presented through a scenario utilising current Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology and innovative contractual and organisational models. This FM scenario supports a Degradation based Maintenance (DbM) scheduling methodology, implemented using two statistical techniques, Particle Filters (PFs) and Gaussian Processes (GPs). DbM consists of extracting and tracking a degradation metric for a component. Limits for the degradation metric are identified based on one of a number of proposed processes. These processes determine the limits based on the maturity of the historical information available. DbM is implemented for three case study components: a heat exchanger; a heat pump; and a set of bearings. The identified degradation points for each case study, from a PF, a GP and a hybrid (PF and GP combined) DbM implementation are assessed against known degradation points. The GP implementations are successful for all components. For the PF implementations, the results presented in this thesis find that the extracted metrics and limits identify degradation occurrences accurately for components which are in continuous operation. For components which have seasonal operational periods, the PF may wrongly identify degradation. The GP performs more robustly than the PF, but the PF, on average, results in fewer false positives. The hybrid implementations, which are a combination of GP and PF results, are successful for 2 of 3 case studies and are not affected by seasonal data. Overall, DbM is effectively applied for the three case study components. The accuracy of the implementations is dependant on the relationships modelled by the PF and GP, and on the type and quantity of data available. This novel maintenance process can improve equipment performance and reduce energy wastage from BSCs operation.

Maintenance test section survey : data collection and analysis

A Maintenance Test Section Survey (MTSS) was conducted as part of a Peer State Review of the Texas Maintenance Program conducted October 5–7, 2010. The purpose of the MTSS was to conduct a field review of 34 highway test sections and obtain participants’ opinions about pavement, roadside, and maintenance conditions. The goal was to cross reference or benchmark TxDOT’s maintenance practices based on practices used by selected peer states. Representatives from six peer states (California, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Washington) were invited to Austin to attend a 3-day Peer State Review of TxDOT Maintenance Practices Workshop and to participate in a field survey of a number of pre-selected one-mile roadway sections. It should be emphasized that the objective of the survey was not to evaluate and grade or score TxDOT’s road network but rather to determine whether the selected roadway sections met acceptable standards of service as perceived by Directors of Maintenance or senior maintenance managers from the peer states...

Design, manufacturing and maintenance of sugar mill equipment

The ISSCT Engineering Workshop 2008 in Brazil was well attended with 62 participants including 39 overseas visitors from 15 countries. The workshop addressed the theme Design, manufacturing and maintenance of sugar mill equipment. From the technical sessions, the following conclusions were drawn: • Several speakers articulated a shared vision of the future of the Brazilian sugar industry. This shared vision gives considerable confidence that the vision can become a reality. • There is an increased focus on energy products. As a result, the reduction of factory energy consumption in order to maximise the energy available for products is also a focus. • New equipment and products are being developed with reduced power consumption, lower capital and maintenance costs, and better performance. • Methods presented for reducing maintenance costs included the use of a maintenance management system, condition monitoring and material selection. The workshop was held in conjunction with Piracicaba’s annual SIMTEC exhibition for the sugar and alcohol industries that provides a forum for technical presentations and discussion, and showcases products and services from manufacturers and service providers. In return for holding the workshop in conjunction with SIMTEC, SIMTEC provided sponsorship for the workshop, including paying travel and accommodation costs for two invited speakers, and organisation for the workshop. The ISSCT and SIMTEC technical programs were arranged so that their technical sessions did not clash, and the ISSCT program was extended a day to provide an opportunity for ISSCT participants to attend the SIMTEC exhibition. Informal feedback from workshop participants suggested that the arrangement between ISSCT and SIMTEC worked well. Site visits to two manufacturing facilities and two sugar mills were arranged as part of the workshop.