Using fuzzy linguistics to select optimum maintenance and condition monitoring strategies

Continued pressure on companies to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction has resulted in increasingly detailed examinations of maintenance practices and strategies. The justification of any given maintenance strategy or practice within an organisation must consider multiple criteria. It should also be based on the overall objectives of the organisation, many of which are 'intangible' or 'non-monetary'. A fuzzy linguistic approach to achieve the inclusion of somewhat subjective assessments of maintenance strategies and practices in an objective manner is outlined in this paper. This approach is also demonstrated with two examples. Implementation of this approach will assist decision makers in the evaluation and selection of maintenance strategies and particular condition-monitoring techniques. (C) 2001 Academic Press.