A combined multivariate technique and multi criteria decision making to maintenance strategy selection

Maintenance plays a key role in reliability, availability, products quality, risk reduction, increasing efficiency, equipment safety. Miscellaneous strategies have been put forward for maintenance amongst which the most important ones are corrective, preventive, opportunistic, condition-based and predictive maintenance that considering each one´s relevant industry each of them has advantages and disadvantages. In this article a methodology is proposed to select optimum maintenance strategy. In this methodology, we try to recognize effective variables (such as environmental problems, budget constraint, manpower utilization) by reviewing expert´s notions and relevant specialized literature. Thereafter, by utilizing factor analysis, we will process the data so as to designate fundamental variables and summarize them in some factors. Then, we will apply the results obtained from factors analysis for designation of criteria in a hierarchy structure. Then by utilizing analytical hierarchy process, we will choose the best strategy; above mentioned stages have been used in a case study.