Maintenance Repair and Operations (MRO)

The term MRO stands for Maintenance Repair and Operations (some spell it out as Maintenance Repair and Overhaul; the meaning stays the same). MRO includes everything the maintenance crew does to keep your facility (and the equipment inside it) in good operating condition. In other words, the main goal of MRO is to keep your business operations running smoothly.

Types of MRO

MRO is often divided into four categories, according to industrial sourcing platform Thomas:

• Infrastructure repair and maintenance keeps a business’ facilities up and running, in top condition.
• Production equipment repair and maintenance ensures all equipment and systems run smoothly.
• Material handling equipment maintenance involves maintaining equipment and systems for transporting raw materials and final products to and from production lines.
• Tooling and consumables is the management of any smaller, handheld tools required in day-to-day operations.

Types of MRO Maintenance

MRO includes many different kinds of maintenance and management processes. Many production and manufacturing companies use one or more of the following types of maintenance.

• Predictive maintenance: Predictive maintenance utilizes sensors and other advanced technology to monitor different equipment conditions such as temperature, humidity, mileage, and so forth. You can set acceptable ranges for these factors, and when an asset falls out of range, an automated notification can be sent to a centralized system. These factors can help you “predict” when an asset is in danger of failing, so that action can be taken before the breakdown occurs.
• Preventive maintenance: Preventive maintenance typically involves regularly scheduling maintenance tasks based on time or hours used. Tasks such as lubrication, adjustments, tightening, and visual inspections are designed to keep equipment in good working order, as well as potentially “catch” problems before they result in downtime.
• Corrective maintenance: Corrective maintenance is often referred to as reactive maintenance and may include emergency maintenance as well. These tasks are performed only when equipment breaks down. Although there are situations where corrective maintenance is the best solution, it is often a costly alternative.
• Condition-based maintenance: Condition-based maintenance is a bit like predictive maintenance and tends to use tools like sensors as well. However, in condition-based maintenance, the condition of the equipment determines when work requests are initiated.
• Total productive maintenance: Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a more comprehensive program that involves multiple departments. For example, operators are responsible for cleaning machines during and after a shift. Maintenance managers, on the other hand, are in charge of purchasing, IT, and other areas to create best practices and budgets.
• Inventory management: Inventory management is critical to maintenance, repairs, and operations because having the right items on hand where they can be located easily is important to efficiently completing tasks. MRO inventories need to be kept well-stocked, but well-managed to avoid waste. Companies may rely on a CMMS or other inventory management software to help.
• Workflow management: Having a system in place to manage daily workflow for maintenance operators contributes to better MRO. The management team should work to remove any obstacles, provide adequate and ongoing training, and use planning and scheduling software to help many each day run efficiently.

Top Pages on the CIO Wiki

• Run-Grow-Transform (RGT) Model
• Enterprise Information System (EIS)
• Architectural Principles
• Congruence Model
• Information Technology Controls (IT Controls)
• Value Chain Analysis
• Problem Tree Analysis
• ITIL Continual Service Improvement (CSI)
• IMAC (Install Move Add Change)
• Statement of Requirements (SoR)
• Quality Competitive Index (QCi) Model
• Threat Agent Risk Assessment (TARA)