Preventing unplanned failure using the FMECA process

fmeca process - Failures Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis

Using the Failures Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) process to develop asset management strategies (read the case study here) ensures that your maintenance activities effectively address each of the relevant failure modes, thus reducing the risk of unplanned break-down or failure.

First, however, some steps need to be addressed (Shown in the infographic above).

What is FMECA?

Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) is a widely used method in the field of engineering, manufacturing, and other industries. It is a systematic and comprehensive approach to identifying and analysing potential failures of a system or product, and their potential impact on the system or product’s functionality, safety, and reliability.

A FMECA:

Identifies the ways in which a product or process can fail
Estimates the risk associated with specific causes
Prioritises the actions that should be taken to reduce risk
Is part of effective strategy development and implementation
Requires active involvement of subject matter experts to ensure their expertise is utilised in developing and taking ownership of the asset strategy.

As an Asset Management specialist, the team at EnterpriseIS works with clients from a broad range of industries to implement this process and assist clients in reducing the risks of unplanned failure in the operation of their equipment.

As a result, it is surprising that many organisations do not understand which failure modes apply to their assets and rely on legacy asset management strategies to maintain and operate their assets.

Suppose you are looking to improve the return your business is achieving from your assets. In that case, the FMECA process is a good starting place to understand if your maintenance activities support you to achieve your desired reliability targets.

Here are some key considerations to ponder:

Building an Effective Asset Strategy: How have you developed your asset strategy? Have you simply uploaded OEM information into your CMMS, or have you dedicated time to defining criticality and conducting FMECA to mitigate risks?
OEM Familiarity with Operational Strategy: Is the OEM familiar with your operational strategy? It is crucial for them to have a genuine understanding of the product characteristics and its impact on the overall process.
Understanding Personnel Capabilities: Does the OEM possess knowledge about the capabilities of your personnel involved in operations and maintenance, and how their expertise will influence operations?
Balancing Reliability and Cost: If the OEM is required to meet contractual obligations for in-service reliability, they may implement a cautious condition-based inspection regime. While such a conservative program can safeguard asset performance, it may result in increased demand for spare parts and resources, leading to higher operations and maintenance costs for the asset owner. Have you allocated a sufficient budget to accommodate this scenario?
Maximising Asset Potential: How will you develop your asset strategies to extract maximum value from your assets?

Get in touch with one of our asset management specialists if you’d like to discuss how EnterpriseIS can apply the FMECA process to your organisation.

Click here for more information on our Asset Management capabilities, or Download our capability statement on Asset Management.