‘Systematic ARMM can save Indian industry Rs 58.3 billion’

The conference was a brainstorming session on maintenance management and reliability practices of several industries in the country. Representatives from the manufacturing industry attended the event and discussed maintenance challenges facing in the industry. The report,which the ARMM said was the first of its kind in India,is the result of a three-month robust survey of 414 companies with an annual turnover of over Rs 100 crore.

It revealed how Indian companies can save up to Rs 58.3 billion if systematic ARMM methods are adopted. The report brought out challenges in getting the right resources,like young,trained engineers.

“Indian industries seldom pay heed to maintenance. It is just another part of production process and 5% of the production cost is lost in unplanned downtown,” added Kamerkar.

Biswapriya Bhattacharjee,group business director of IMRB International,said,“The reasons for such drain of money are lack of automated methods,accuracy and documentation.”

“Students are not keen on taking up maintenance due to lack of glamour and the ground-work that is involved. We are aiming at changing engineering syllabus to get the right results,” said Anil Telang,professor at the National Institute of Technology,Bhopal and an ARMM Forum Advisory.

“Maintenance heads are not valued at all. But it is a core part of all industrial processes,” added SK Basu,professor emeritus,College of Engineering,Pune and and a member of the advisory forum. Many Indian multinational companies outsource maintenance contracts to international buyers owing to lack of trained engineers in this field.