Counter-based strategy: maintaining equipment according to real use
POMEX’s work at a pharmaceutical production site.
At this site, maintenance followed a fixed calendar while line utilisation varied sharply from one year to the next.
POMEX helped the client move from calendar-based to usage-based maintenance, improving reliability and reducing costs.
01. Context and challenge
With fixed frequencies, maintenance did not follow real activity:
- when production increased, equipment was under-maintained and reliability dropped;
- when it decreased, equipment was over-maintained and costs rose for no reason.
02. Our approach
POMEX defined and validated a process to convert calendar plans into plans based on usage counters, tested on pilot lines:
- plan optimisation based on maintenance history;
- reliability kept at least at the same level over a reference year;
- natural ageing of parts and lubricants taken into account when the load drops sharply;
- a profitability assessment tool for future projects.
03. Results
The study delivered measurable gains and clear rules for the next steps:
- annual savings on each pilot line, varying with the line and its load;
- precise selection criteria: equipment with high maintenance costs and usage that follows the line’s;
- a reusable method, provided a reference year and representative maintenance history are available.
Conclusion
A counter-based strategy matches maintenance to the real pace of production: fewer breakdowns when activity speeds up, less wasted spending when it slows down.
