Root Cause Analysis is a structured investigation of a
defined problem that aims to identify the “true” cause and the actions necessary to eliminate it. The technique is used
by many manufacturing companies to eliminate recurring
and significant equipment failures. For high performers,
Root Cause Analysis is one of the techniques required to
attain the last few percent on equipment efficiency.
Root Cause Analysis gives a more pro-active and focused approach to
dealing with plant & equipment failures:
- It allows the elimination of repetitive breakdowns
- It allows the attainment of world class reliability performance levels
- It encourages ownership through involvement of operators and maintainers
in defining solutions
Equipment failures are recorded, categorised and analysed using Pareto
Analysis. Significant events are singled out for Root Cause Analysis by the
manufacturing team. Root Cause Analysis is conducted involving small
facilitated groups of equipment operators and maintainers but can also be
applied by individuals within engineering and production teams.

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