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Track 2 Session 4
2:20 to 3:20 p.m. Wednesday March 25, 2009
Reliability Based Spare Part Provision for the Machine Building
Industry via Adapted Service Life Prediction
According to recent investigations, the sale of spare parts
is a considerable key business in the after-sales market. In the machine building industry
the profit margins of the service and spare parts business exceed the classical product
business by a factor of ten. To reduce the probability of cost-intensive breakdowns, a
constant availability of spare parts is necessary. The earning potential in the after-sales
market can be exploited only if customers are supplied with specific spare parts within
stipulated reaction times. However, especially in the machine building industry, the factors
that influence the demand forecast of spare parts are diverse. The high number of models
and variants of the machines and the simultaneously small number of sold units complicate
an accurate prediction. Furthermore, the service life of single components is influenced
to a great extent by different and variable loads depending on the production processes.
Hence, most companies have to maintain high and expensive spare parts inventories to
assure a certain availability. The presented approach aims at analyzing and predicting
the service life of components depending on the load that is applied. This information
is combined with logistic aspects such as delivery times or stock strategies. By using
the approach, it is possible to predict the demand of spare parts more accurately.
Optimal cost strategies for the provision of spare parts can be developed and evaluated.
This helps companies reduce their expensive inventories of spare parts.
Key Words: Life Data Analysis, R&M Applications in
Manufacturing, Reliability Modeling, Strategies for Spare Part Provisioning
Stephan Niggeschmidt
wbk Institute of Production Science, Universität Karlsruhe (TH)
Germany |
