Maintenance and Production: A Review of Planning Models

Maintenance is the set of activities carried out to keep a system into a condition where it can perform its function. Quite often these systems are production systems where the outputs are products and/or services. Some maintenance can be done during production and some can be done during regular production stops in evenings, weekends and on holidays. However, in many cases production units need to be shut down for maintenance. This may lead to tension between the production and maintenance department of a company. On one hand the production department needs maintenance for the long-term well-being of its equipment, on the other hand it leads to shutting down the operations and loss of production. It will be clear that both can benefit from decision support based on mathematical models.