This paper proposes a conceptual prescriptive maintenance (PsM) framework for a heterogeneous fleet of degrading vehicles, aiming to synchronize maintenance schedules and reduce inventory and operational costs.
A mathematical framework is developed using real-time degradation data from inspections. The policy prescribes two actions: vehicle swaps to optimize fleet management and usage rate adjustments to influence individual degradation trajectories. A simplified case study with numerical examples illustrates the approach.
Results show that the policy effectively manages fleet heterogeneity and achieves cost savings compared to conventional maintenance strategies.
The contribution lies in explicitly linking system usage with degradation. Unlike predictive or condition-based approaches, the policy prescribes both maintenance actions and operational adjustments, broadening the decision space for fleet optimization.
