Optimal Repair Time of Municipal Transit Vehicle’s Clutches

摘要

The criticality of maintenance planning in maintenance operations and by extension fleet management cannot be over-emphasized. Time study offers the much needed organizational growth in terms of effective labour utilization, methods improvement, wage calculation, task assignment and employee welfare by analyzing maintenance operations into elements that make up the entire repair work. A typical fleet management company is faced with repairing on routine the clutches of its fleet. A time study was conducted by carrying out analysis of a video recording of the repairs of the clutches of a case study municipal transport fleet. The analysis revealed that the current repair process has 15 major repair process, 124 elemental procedures of work of which; 56 were Operation; 17 were Inspection; 29 were Transportation; 0 were Storage and 22 were Delay. The current repair process sees a clutch repair to be completed in 3:34hours. However, a clutch repair process was proposed. The proposed method has 18 major repair elements, 130 elemental procedures of which; 70 is Operation; 18 is Inspection; 27 is Transportation; 4 Storage and 11 Delays. The proposed method was seen to be completed in 3:11hours and far lesser delays and increased inspection which enhance the quality of repair work. A time study of the current repair process revealed that tool and spares procurement occupied the chunk of the delays in the current repair process, it further revealed that the gearbox disassembly process amounts to greater time, energy and man-hour wastage hence, a gantry was proposed to be mounted on the bus walkway to aid the lifting-off of the gearbox. On tool and spares procurement, tools and spares were proposed to be procured firsthand before the actual repair work is commenced. This would reduce the “to and fro” movement to the store. The proposed method also factored ergonomics into its sequence of repairs by allowing rest time for fatigue, personal, standing and basic allowances as against the current process where breaks can be taken at technician’s wish.