10. Conclusion: "Maintenance, a strategic function

Maintenance is a complex function which, depending on the type of process, can be decisive for a company's success. The functions that make it up, and the actions that carry them out, must be carefully balanced to optimize the overall performance of the production tool.

The difficulty lies in this adjustment, which has to be made taking into account a number of factors:

• at company level: the economic and social context ;

• at plant level: interaction with other systems (in particular the production system);

• at maintenance system level: the various effects of each activity (design, preparation, scheduling, etc.).

To be effective, you first need to have as clear an idea as possible of the mechanisms influencing the significant...