Increasing the effectiveness and cost‐efficiency of corrective maintenance using relay‐type assignment

There has been extensive research on techniques to assign mechanics to machines in order to maximize their availability in corrective maintenance systems. However, the focus has been on achieving high machine availability, while disregarding the utilization of mechanics. The maintenance brigade system (MBS), a team‐based mechanic‐assignment technique based on the relay‐type, self‐balancing bucket brigade system created by Bartholdi and Eisenstein, was thus developed and tested. The MBS was compared to a traditional assignment technique via machine availability and mechanic utilization, each at different levels according to the industrial partner’s opinion of high and low, with medium levels taken to be the status quo. Each system was modeled and, after a validation and verification process, simulated under the same number of machines and mechanics. Results and implications are discussed