Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) refers to all actions taken to ensure that machinery, tools, and facilities are in good working order.
The right maintenance, repair, and overhaul strategy can transform a plant’s operations by increasing operational efficiency and reducing unplanned downtime. This article will examine the maintenance, repair, and overhaul definition and how this approach works in practice. We’ll also discuss the benefits of a good MRO strategy.
What Is Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul?
Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) is a strategy for managing critical assets to maximize their lifespans and productivity. MRO is an umbrella term that can involve everything from routine preventive maintenance tasks to emergency repairs. It also includes upgrading and modernizing assets, or bringing them up to code.
An effective maintenance and repair strategy includes asset management and spare parts inventory management. Today, most successful MRO maintenance approaches also incorporate digital tools like wireless condition monitoring sensors and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software. Most modern plants rely on high-value equipment and tools to produce their goods. Leveraging digital tools is the most effective way to keep critical assets up and running so that businesses can stay competitive.
Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul vs. Maintenance, Repair, and Operations
The terms maintenance, repair, and overhaul and maintenance, repair, and operations are often used to mean the same thing. Both terms have the same acronym, MRO. So, what’s the difference?
Maintenance, repair, and operations focus more on facility management. The term encompasses the plant’s big-picture operations as a whole, rather than individual maintenance approaches and tasks.
Maintenance, repair, and overhaul focus on equipment, tools, and spare parts. The term “overhaul” refers to all of the major maintenance activities that involve refurbishing your assets.
Types and Examples of MRO
There are many types of maintenance, repair, and overhaul strategies, including:
Examples of MRO supplies include industrial assets, such as pumps, motors, valves, compressors, and blowers. All of the component parts of these assets are also MRO supplies. Other types of MRO supplies include:
- Maintenance tools, from hammers and saws to wireless vibration sensors.
- Safety tools, like gas and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and hardhats.
- Consumables, like lubricants and cleaning solutions.
Broadly speaking, all of the tools and equipment used to carry out MRO tasks and activities will count as MRO supplies.
MRO Tasks and Activities
Any tasks and activities that service, repair, or refurbish your equipment can be classified as MRO tasks. MRO tasks and activities will look a little different at each plant, as they depend on your equipment’s needs, as well as your budget and goals.
Most facilities use more than one MRO strategy. A maintenance team might use condition monitoring sensors to track the health of its most critical assets, for example. The same maintenance team probably uses a reactive maintenance approach for non-critical assets (like lightbulbs).
And most plants today use preventive maintenance to ensure that all equipment is regularly inspected and routine maintenance tasks are performed.
MRO Inventory
MRO inventory management is a constant challenge for maintenance managers. Keeping too much material in stock can drive up your costs – but failing to keep the right spare parts on hand can lead to unplanned downtime and idling.
Leveraging technology makes a huge difference in MRO inventory management. A good CMMS, like eMaint, can help correctly forecast your maintenance needs so that you can predict when you’ll need spare parts. eMaint can also track parts, improve inventory accuracy, and even auto-generate purchase orders.
Benefits of an MRO Management Strategy
The benefits of a strong MRO management strategy can be felt throughout your operation. Done right, a solid MRO approach leads to a reduction in downtime, lower maintenance costs, and a longer useful lifespan for your critical assets.
More specifically, an MRO management strategy can:
- Improve work order completion rates
- Increase efficiency by tracking labor hours and costs
- Improve scheduling, ensuring that you make the best use of planned downtime
- Standardize workflows so that maintenance tasks are performed correctly every time
- Track asset health and maintenance history, so that your teams can plan for each asset’s maintenance needs
- Manage MRO inventory and ensure you can always find the parts you need
Managing MRO with a CMMS
Maintenance managers face many challenges. A good CMMS can help.
Today’s plants are highly complex, making MRO a challenge. High-value assets need careful, well-planned maintenance to stay at peak performance. And most maintenance managers today are tasked with overseeing multiple worksites.
A high-quality CMMS, like eMaint, takes the guesswork out of MRO by building a data-driven strategy for every aspect of your plant’s needs. eMaint captures, analyzes, and stores asset health data. It tracks work order competition, plans schedules, and assesses maintenance costs. It even handles MRO inventory.
eMaint CMMS is cloud-based, so managers can access data from just about anywhere. The result? An evidence-based MRO strategy that’s effective, easy, and sustainable.
To learn more about what eMaint can do for your organization, speak to a specialist.