Evaluating Fleet and Maintenance Management Strategiesthrough System Dynamics Model in a City Bus Company

摘要

The evolution of fleet maintenance and management policies highlights the growing importance ofmaintenance issues in both private and public companies. The need to improve maintenanceperformance requires an accurate evaluation of the trade-off between costs and benefits related toalternative fleet maintenance and management policies. However, the complexity of maintenancesystem makes this evaluation a very difficult task.More often a fleet manager deals with the following key issues:· is it more profitable to repair or to renew the company fleet?· Is it more convenient to reduce the average age of the different assets (e.g., by increasinginvestments in new bus) or to expand the maintenance activities (e.g., by rising repairingcosts)?In fact, fleet managers cannot ignore the impact of their decisions on both company service andfinancial performance over time.Aim of this paper is to show how the System Dynamics approach can effectively support fleetmanagers in designing and evaluating their strategies. The simulation model here presented is basedon the result of a project with two Italian city bus companies. Through such tool decision makerscan test different fleet strategies and assess their effects on company performance.