What are the factors contributing to equipment failure?

Yes selection of wrong material is one of the major factor contributing to equipment failure. Normally persons working in the production does not have control of the material purchased, its the purchase department who does all the purchases. If the quality of raw material varies frequently then it leads to machine/equipment failure. This might in turn bring down the production of that day.

There is only one aspect that contribute for equpment failure. i e discipline. You may ask me what is discipline.

Discipline with respect to spare parts,skilled man power, better house keeping, preventive maintenance, inspection, history card  etc these will play vital role in equipment failure.

Equipment failure is a common phenomena which has to be dealt in the right perspective.  Maintenance was being rendered as and when a breakdown occurred. This was termed as reactive maintenance and practiced during 70s.  The machines were robust but had minimum features plus not so accurate.  As sophistication was gradually built the necessity to take preventive steps to curtail breakdowns was noticed.  Hence preventive maintenance  started.  The present scenario is that machines have become ultra modern.  The innovations have been phenomenal,  CNC machines have become highly reliable due to digital system and computer application has extended in all arenas.  The microcomputer and semiconductor substrate have been put into use in all the modern gadgets.  Maintenance of these machines which have modern technology needs better attention.  Many maintenance options like TPM, Lean with 6 sigma, Predictive Maintenance, Condition monitoring and Reliability Centered Maintenance are available.  These tools can be used only when concerted efforts by the Management and down under are made with a unified approach for radical changes or in other words Change management.  First and the foremost change required is to give a pass to reactive maintenance and switch over to proactive maintenance.  Many experts have successfully implemented PM schedules which are optimized.  The traditional way of PM should be given up.  It may be draining resources without appreciable  results in terms of  availability, increase in MTBF and decrese in MTTR. 

Preventive maintenance should also not be confused with corrective maintenance.  Corrective maintenance should be orchestrad   to arrest hidden failure and system failures.  Preventive Maintenace programme should be articulately designed by weighing all factors, in particular from economic front.  Maintenance problems are being discussed today at corporate level because it has started influencing the bottom line expenditure.  Maintenance expenditure that is inconclusive of PM and Corrective Maintenance should be treated as separate entity, monitored in relation to the output from the shop floor.  The Maintenance Head plays a vital role in this change.  Necessary documentation, use of CMMS, past records of PM activities, seeking Predictive Maintenance support, knowledge of Reliability Centered Maintenance will all help.  Web has many interesting books which can be downloaded and consists of variety of useful information on new Maintenance option.