Classification of Assets by Criticality

Classifying the Equipment by how critical they are to the process, allows the maintenance planners to better plan & schedule the work required. They can prioritize the work and attend to the most important equipment first, maximizing the available resources and increasing the effectiveness of the maintenance department. This classification is also used to help determine the economical level of maintenance that should be allocated and to make recommendations as to what equipment is to receive RCFA (Root Cause Failure Analysis). RCFA is a strategy based on failures occurred in the past, it focuses on eliminating the risk of recurrence of the failure by identifying the physical, human & organizational system roots that lead to the failure. In order to assign criticality to equipment, the impact of the equipment failing to operate must be determined.

The following rating can serve as a start:

Criticality A

Shuts down the entire plant, multiple production lines, safety & / or environmental reasons, equipment affecting multiple zones or areas, or equipment causing chains of events that cannot be controlled in time. Equipment classified as highly profitable or with high customer service needs or high volume demands. Equipment with high repair cost when they fail.

Criticality B

Some reduced capacity, equipment that can be bypassed economically for a period. Components on a single line.

Criticality C

Comfort items (HVAC, air make-up units, etc.)

Criticality D

No impact either because of redundancy or not directly involved in the process.

Note to Maintenance Coordinators/Planners:

Equipment criticality decisions must be made in consultation with upper level management.