Development of Maintenance Management Model for Enhancing Overall Equipment Effectiveness in Workshop Machinery

Abstract

This study explores the development of a Maintenance Management Model to enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in workshop machinery, focusing on the Training Workshops (TWs) at the College of Engineering and Technology (CoET), University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). The research addresses challenges such as frequent equipment breakdowns and the absence of structured maintenance and stock control systems, which hinder practical training and academic performance in engineering education. The study highlights the importance of adopting effective maintenance practices to improve equipment availability, performance, and quality. A mixed-methods approach was applied, involving structured questionnaires, interviews, observations, and record reviews. Using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), a data-driven model was developed to quantify the influence of critical variables, including time-based financial planning, technician capability, equipment availability, maintenance response time, and technology integration on OEE. The findings reveal that organisational support, proactive maintenance practices, timely intervention, and competent human resources significantly affect OEE. The developed conceptual model demonstrated high predictive validity, achieving a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.5413 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.5973 on a 1–10 OEE scale. These results confirm the reliability of the model in predicting OEE improvements. The study concludes that implementing a structured maintenance management system, specifically adapted to academic workshops, can substantially improve machine uptime and operational efficiency. The proposed model provides a practical framework for CoET to strengthen workshop performance and, in turn, improve the quality of engineering education. The research recommends further validation of the model in other institutions and integration of real-time monitoring technologies to broaden its applicability and effectiveness.