A simulation technique for optimising maintenance teams for a service company

Abstract

The maintenance of some sophisticated and complex equipment – for example, diagnostic equipment used in hospitals – is frequently outsourced to the original equipment supplier or another maintenance service provider. Companies that own such assets can either enter into a service agreement, or they can use service providers on a call-out basis. A fundamental problem for the provider of maintenance services is to determine the optimum number of maintenance technicians or artisans. An investigation was done for a service company that provides planned and breakdown maintenance services to hospitals and clinics that use specialised medical imaging equipment. Data on the duration of maintenance tasks and traveling costs were used to obtain an input distribution for a simulation model. The model that was developed can now be used to determine the number of technicians that would optimise the service company’s profit. This paper discusses the features of the simulation model, as well as some results obtained with the basic simulation model.

AFRIKAANS: Die instandhouding van sommige gesofistikeerde en komplekse toerusting, soos byvoorbeeld diagnostiese toerusting wat in hospitale gebruik word, word dikwels uitgekontrakteer na die oorspronklike vervaardigers van die toerusting. Ondernemings wat sulke toerusting besit kan dan ’n diensleweringskontrak met die diensverskaffer aangaan, of gebruik maak van ’n uitroepstelsel. ’n Fundamentale probleem vir die diensverskaffer is om die optimum aantal tegnici te bepaal. ’n Ondersoek is gedoen vir ’n tipiese diensverskaffer wat beplande sowel as onbeplande instandhouding doen vir hospitale en klinieke wat gesofistikeerde optiese toerusting bedryf. Data vir die tydsduur van take sowel as reistyd is gebruik om insetverdelings te verkry vir die ontwikkeling van ’n simulasiemodel. Die model wat ontwikkel is, kan gebruik word om die aantal tegnici te bepaal wat die wins vir die diensmaatskappy sal optimeer. Hierdie artikel bespreek die eienskappe van die simulasiemodel wat ontwikkel is, sowel as van die resultate wat met die basiese simulasiemodel verkry is.