RCM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

RCM - Essay Example RCM covers both the risk of physical and operational failure and considers events that could reasonably cause an asset to cease performing any of its desired functions (Mutual Consultants Ltd 2009). Proper maintenance of assets while important for both households and businesses is fundamental to the operating efficiency of businesses. The failure of a critical asset can have devastating consequences for a business if it cannot be repaired or replaced quickly. In order to ensure that adequate maintenance takes place a maintenance program needs to be implemented for all equipment in use. This program should be capable of predicting the degradation or failure of an equipment before it happens. An RCM program can lead to increased operating performance, reduced maintenance costs and reduced energy bills (Chimack et al n.d.). 2.0 Operating context ‘RCM is a maintenance perspective in an operational context’ and so understanding the goals and needs of the organisation is funda mental in the development of a maintenance strategy to optimise business outcomes in the context of the goals of the business (August 1999). The asset that is being analysed is a Daiken split air conditioning system which is located in an office of 54 square metres. It provides cool air at a temperature differential (TD) of between 8 and 11oC and as a secondary function helps to eliminate or reduce unwanted particulate or gaseous substances from the air being supplied to the office. The office operates six (6) days per week at an average of seven (7) hours per day providing customer service to internet users and students doing research. On average about five to seven customers are being served at any one time and approximately 36 in any one day. The air conditioner is switched on and off using a remote control when the temperature gets too cold. The room temperature normally gets cold when only one or two customers are in the office. However, it is normally set at a temperature gaug e of 26oC. It is flushed once every three (3) months and the air filter is also cleaned by the office staff. The air conditioner is only serviced by a trained technician in reaction to a fault that causes it to malfunction. In addition to its primary function of providing cool air at low noise levels it also removes dust and other particles from the air. 2.1 Working principle Airconditioning-and-heating.com (n.d.), the air conditioning system circulates a compressed gas refrigerant in a closed â€Å"split† system to cool and condition inside air in order to make its occupants comfortable. This refrigerant has to be re-cooled and condensed, and the air outside is generally the medium that is used to facilitate this process. Split airconditioning.com (n.d.) also states that the air conditioning system also controls the purity of the air by reducing or eliminating unwanted particul