Cost Reduction in a Brewery Boiler Operation Using Reliability Centered Maintenance: A Case Study

Proper machine maintenance is fundamental towards maximizing profit and reducing the cost of production in a brewery boiler operation. In this study, cost reduction in a brewery operation using reliability centred maintenance (RCM) was analysed for a boiler. A planned cost-effective maintenance management structure according to RCM was developed for this study. The reliability method was employed to analyse the data collected from the maintenance log book of a brewery boiler operation located in Oyo, Akwa-Ibom state of Nigeria, for a period of two year. Results obtained indicate that the boiler perform better when RCM was utilized as the maintenance method when compared to corrective maintenance (CM) which is currently used by the brewery is more cost effectives. The cost analysis carried out indicate that the cost of labour decrease from ₦103,320,000/year to ₦77,280,000/year which is approximately 25.2% decrease in the cost of labour. The result also indicates a 23.6% saving in total downtime cost compared to the current maintenance practice carried out on the boiler. The system reliability increases with decreasing labour cost when RCM was applied. Therefore, RCM should be adopted for the maintenance of the boiler in the brewery plant.