Maintenance cost optimisation by integrating human and material resources: a case study

Increasing the operational efficiency of complex technical systems is a major point of interest in logistics, inventory management and maintenance fields. Apart from being a support for the maintenance systems, the integration of resource allocation (especially human resources, inventories, and logistics) affects the availability of spare parts, and the operational efficiency. In this paper, first, a mixed integer nonlinear programming model based on base-stock inventory model is developed to formulate the problem of maintenance cost optimisation with integrating human and material resources. The model seeks the optimal number of workforces who repair equipment, the long run fill rate and the base-stock level in each stocking facility. Next, reformulate the model which contains spare parts demand uncertainty with the robust counterpart optimisation approach. The presented model is executed in one of the major car manufacturers in Iran.