- Dr. Luis Amendola, PhD., Dr. Tibaire Depool, PhD
- Case studies
- Asset management, Maintenance
SUMMARY
RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability) analysis applied from the design stage ensures reliable, available, and easy-to-maintain assets throughout their life cycle. Integrating these principles into maintenance engineering facilitates the early identification of failure modes, optimizes equipment maintainability and accessibility, and reduces operational risks and associated costs.
This study presents a practical case in which two configurations for an automated production line with critical pumps were evaluated, comparing their reliability, availability, and maintainability. The results show how a RAM-based design approach, supported by tools such as FMECA, Weibull analysis, and LCC, contributes to decreasing CAPEX and OPEX, improving operational efficiency, and aligning design with safety, sustainability, and operability policies.
Designing with RAM in mind means prioritizing operational reliability, minimum total cost, and long-term sustainability. The involvement of maintenance engineering from the early phases of the project is key to ensuring that assets meet their performance objectives and remain efficient and safe from the first day of operation.
