An analytic hierarchy process based model for the selection of decision categories in maintenance systems

This paper presents a model, based on Analytic Hierarchy Process, to support a maintenance manager with a suitable tool for focusing on the most relevant choices which need to be prioritized. The paper provides an insight on how structural and infra-structural decision elements, traditionally conceived for assessing the manufacturing strategy of a company, could be adopted as criteria for configuring a maintenance system. A model based on Analytic Hierarchy Process has been developed and tested in two industrial case studies in order to demonstrate how it can guide a maintenance manager in keeping the strategic decisions coherently with the overall company’s manufacturing strategy. Main beneficiaries are mainly maintenance managers who have to tackle relevant strategic decisions in managing their maintenance systems. Given the increasing role of maintenance within the operations strategy of a company, the heterogeneity of actors involved, with the relevant risk of assuming conflicting decisions, it is of utmost importance to lever on adequate and shared decision support systems rather than relying on a mere empirical knowledge. The model proposed in this paper, based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process, fills this gap since it provides a structured support in the decision making process by comparing and prioritising the relevant strategic decisions pertaining to the configuration of a maintenance system.