The optimisation of maintenance service levels to support the product service system

The dematerialising concept has formed a new management model: the product service system (PSS). PSS means that enterprises have changed the management concept of ‘product foremost and service second’ to ‘service-based product’ in design products, and the products are the tools produced and innovated for service. Therefore, the physical logistical service replaces the virtual service. However, during the transformation, the product service system also needs to emphasise cost, customers’ satisfaction and environmental protection. This study analysed different types of integrated maintenance service and used multi-attribute utility analysis to discuss the overall utility of maintenance service. The operation cost, CO ₂ emission and service satisfaction indicators of different maintenance service models were used as decision variables to determine the optimal maintenance system. Finally, a case study is described to demonstrate this research.     

Optimizing the performance of a repairable system under a maintenance and repair contract

In this article a number of maintenance models for finite horizons are reviewed. These methods have not been applied as frequently as their infinite horizon counterparts, and yet are very much applicable to systems under maintenance and repair contracts. The emphasis in this paper is on repairable systems under maintenance and repair contracts, where the decision has to be made whether and when to repair or replace the system. Based on a case study, a new finite horizon model will be constructed and new approaches to analyze and improve repair/replacement decisions under a finite horizon introduced. Finally, the meaning of ‘risk’ and ‘criticality’ in the context of maintenance contracts will be discussed and quantified. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.