Project Description

Although the project is scheduled in 8 work packages, the main work will be carried out within project can be divided and presented in brief into the following 5 thematic actions:

Research and Business literature review: The academic partners among with the experts in maintenance services (consultancy firms) will undertake an extensive research and business literature review in Maintenance strategies-methodologies. The review will record the practices, tools and methodologies at international level towards maintenance implementation, thus covering the state-of-the-art in this area. This will ensure the quality of the training material, which will be developed at a later stage.

Training needs analysis and training model conception: All partners with the help of universities and consultant partners will also carry out the need analysis task required at this phase. The identification and determination of the implementation difficulties of training in maintenance will give the information needed (national reports and synthesis report for all countries) for the configuration of the training model specifications and the methodology will be used later during the pilot phase. Attempts of maintenance implementation, experience and information from surveys, projects and other activities in this area will be used among others as input towards this scope.

Training material and self audit tools development: The training material and the maintenance handbook delivered at this stage will be the blending of the research and literature review, training needs conception and auditing of the existing performance in various companies for all countries. Easily performed self-audit tools will be developed in order to examine the organization level on maintenance area (e.g. human resources sufficiency, organization schemes, existing procedures etc.) and the problems each company is dealing with, thus securing the feasibility and practicality of the training material. The training material developed for training workers and executives of maintenance sector will cover substantial needs and will give the opportunity of self-auditing the performance and progress of maintenance departments’ and maintenance staff (technicians, workers, managers). The experience of the consultancy firms and the academic organizations will be valuable for the success of this phase. According to their know-how and expertise all these partners will contribute to the training syllabus in maintenance. The University of Portsmouth along with ATLANTIS Engineering will be task leaders for the Training material development and quality evaluation tasks.

Pilot testing and amendment of the training material: Pilot seminars and workshops will take place in each participating country, with reformed content from time to time, utilizing the information provided from the work-shop participants and e-users (web site visitors). Discussion forums between executives, academics and consultants, even via internet, could also turn out to be valuable source of information. All these facilities will be embedded in the project web site and will be presented in a SWOT analysis report for each country.

Dissemination and exploitation actions: From the first phase of the project a portal (website developed during WP 6) will be developed providing information on the project execution. All results and tools developed during the project will be available to the public, thus securing their dissemination and provision of continuous feedback from the web site visitors. The participation of 2 Science & Technology Parks (Greece, Latvia), of an Innovation Center (Lithuania), of the Swedish Maintenance association, UTEK, which is also a member of the training work group of the EFNMS (European Federation of National Maintenance Societies) as well as of 2 consultancy firms (Bulgaria, Greece) and of 2 leading universities from Greece and U.K in the consortium, will ensure the wide dissemination and exploitation of project results in both national and European level. Here it should be stated that TRAIN IN MAIN consortium has foreseen the implementation of a well-planed valorization plan in order to reach the best possible coverage in both national and European level of all the target groups as well as the potential beneficiaries of project results (9 letters of support expressing interest from several organizations in full proposal phase). The continuous communication and active participation of all partners will also be imperative and indisputable for the success of this project.

Aims

· To increase European SMEs competitiveness responding to the pressures of the market for continuous innovation and technological adaptations using the tools developed.

· To cultivate plant and maintenance workers, managers and directors awareness in order to support the implementation of the innovating maintenance practices and tools because the key to systematic and effective maintenance is managerial decision-making that is appropriate to the particular circumstances of the machine, plant or organisation (Labib A.W., 2006).

· To co-operate and create network with companies (manufacturing companies, consultancy firms), training institutions (universities, technology parks) and chambers thus promoting knowledge and reinforcing innovation processes adaptation and cultures.

· To reinforce Eastern SMEs by the involvement of an Innovation Center (Lithuania), a Science & Technology Park (Latvia) and a Consultancy firm (Bulgaria) at the project.

· To disseminate the project’s results through the chamber-Public organization and training institutions activation.

· To create a web-portal for experiences and ideas exchange thus securing the continuous practical knowledge acquisition from the visitors available to all interested parties.

· To generate maintenance lifelong skilled experts thus creating new employment possibilities and increasing the adaptability of technological and organisational changes within companies.

· To provide documented training material in maintenance practices by the handbook and the methodology delivered.

· To develop self-audit tools for continuous examining and monitoring the maintenance performance of manufacturing companies combining the use of strategic, financial and recording tools as well as evaluation of several staff parameters crucial for successful maintenance implementation.

· To reduce maintenance costs and to increase productivity, as well as to improve products quality by equipment downtime minimisation, performance optimisation, and resources availability thus increasing customer satisfaction and profit margins.

· To reduce safety problems by breakdowns elimination.

· To reduce pollution and waste contributing to the environmental protection from the preventive maintenance tasks execution scheduled for the equipment maintenance within manufacturing companies.