Title: Maintenance strategy development in the UK food and drink industry

Authors: David Baglee; Michael Knowles

Addresses: Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice, University of Sunderland, The Industry Centre, Colima Avenue, Sunderland, SR5 3XB, UK ' Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice, University of Sunderland, The Industry Centre, Colima Avenue, Sunderland, SR5 3XB, UK

Abstract: The food and drink industry is a key industrial sector employing many thousands of people making a substantial contribution to the global economy. Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) account for a considerable percentage of the sector's activity. While many manufacturing sectors have embraced and contributed to the development of modern maintenance practices, the food and drink industry is perceived to be falling behind, a trend which is having a negative effect on the productivity of this industry. This paper investigates the barriers, both real and perceived, to the implementation of modern maintenance practices and the opportunities to apply modern technology to support improved efficiency.

Keywords: food and drink industry; condition-based maintenance; CBM; overall equipment effectiveness; OEE; maintenance strategy; UK; United Kingdom; implementation barriers; small to medium-sized enterprises; SMEs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSEAM.2013.056321

International Journal of Strategic Engineering Asset Management, 2013 Vol.1 No.3, pp.289 - 300

Published online: 26 Jul 2014 *

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