Maintenance Management Approaches and Manufacturing Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the association between maintenance approach adopted and manufacturing performance. The study had four objectives to achieve: To determine the maintenance approaches adopted by manufacturing industries in Kenya; determine operations performance of manufacturing industries in Kenya; determine plant effectiveness of manufacturing industries in Kenya and to determine the relationship between maintenance approach adopted and manufacturing performance. The study used a cross-sectional research design targeting manufacturing firms based at Athi-River Export Processing Zone. A census involving 21 firms was carried out and simple random sampling was used to select 88 respondents who participated in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings were presented in tables. The study established that maintenance management approaches adopted by manufacturing firms in Kenya fall into three main categories. Approach that emphasizes high preventive and fast reactive maintenance by dedicated resources; Approach that emphasizes low preventive and fast reactive maintenance by dedicated resources and Autonomous maintenance. Approach emphasizing high preventive and fast reactive maintenance by dedicated resources is predominant among manufacturing firms. Maintenance approaches have varying levels of effectiveness with preventive maintenance outweighing reactive maintenance. Autonomous maintenance was found to be better than the other two in terms of manufacturing plant effectiveness and manufacturing performance. Acting via manufacturing plant effectiveness, maintenance management approach adopted has a positive influence on manufacturing performance