Advantages and Disadvantages of RCM

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), as name suggests, is a very effective methodology that is simply used to identify all possible causes that can lead to failure in system using cause-and-effect relationships. After identifying all possible causes, one can determine best maintenance strategy method to eliminate failure. The strategy chosen should be to ensure that equipment and processes should function by ensuring safety and reliability. It basically identifies all failure modes i.e. all possible ways in which equipment or system can fail, different possible ways in which failure can occur for a given piece of equipment.

Failure can have more than one failure mode i.e. more than one way that can lead to similar adverse effects on system. For overall system, these failures modes can be identified by simply breaking down system into sub-parts or sub-systems. These sub-parts are further breakdown until a failure mode is identified.

Main goal of RCM Program :
The main goal of RCM Program is simply to develop and establish effective and unique maintenance strategy for each asset that is very critical and has high risk of failure and major consequences if it does fail. Here, asset is any data, equipment, device, or another component of system.

Advantages of effective RCM :
If RCM is implemented successfully and effectively in program, then it provides following advantages :

1. Increased Efficiency :
   RCM overall increases efficiency of system as it only focuses on management of system, increases performance activity by eliminating failure, increases use of assets by simply making them error-free, reduces maintenance causes, etc.
2. Reduced Cost :
   RCM also reduces maintenance costs by eliminating unwanted failure before its occurrence as some of failure requires more cost and more resources to be fixed. So, RCM reduces overall maintenance and resource cost.
3. Improved Productivity :
   By successfully maintaining system and reducing any sudden failures, RCM enhances customer satisfaction and increases reliability.
4. Replacing Asset:
   If any asset gets failed due to any reason or destruction, then substitution of particular asset with new asset is important which will simply enhance features that have capability of doing same function.
5. Reduces failures :
   RCM generally reduces chances of sudden failure of equipment or asset as RCM maintains particular asset and minimizes all possible ways of its failure.

Disadvantages :

1. Continuous Maintenance :
   One of main disadvantages of RCM is that it requires continuous and regular maintenance to keep assets safe from failure and more reliable.
2. Requires Training and startup cost :
   Before performing RCM, training is mandatory and startup cost of RCM can be high.
3. Requires Time and resources :
   It basically requires more time and resources to successfully perform RCM Analysis that is very necessary to maintain priorities.
4. Complexity :
   Though effective, on other hand, RCM is very complex method and is not an easy method to perform.
5. Economic problem :
   RCM does not focus on economic problems.
6. Don’t consider maintaining cost :
   RCM is a process that requires continuous maintenance but RCM does not consider additional cost of assets owning and maintenance.