Plant Maintenance Strategies Used by Large Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to: establish the plant maintenance strategies used by large manufacturing firms in Kenya; establish the challenges large manufacturing firms in Kenya are facing in their effort to implement plant maintenance strategies and establish whether the maintenance strategies in large manufacturing firms in Kenya conform to world best maintenance strategies. The targeted population was large manufacturing firms in Nairobi, Kenya whose estimated population is 80% of the total number of manufacturing firms registered with Kenya Association of Manufacturers. Stratified random sampling procedure was employed to select the respondents to represent the larger population. Primary data were collected through questionnaires and data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. The study found out that large manufacturing firms in Kenya use a combination of both corrective and preventive maintenance strategies with corrective maintenance strategy as the most prominent within the firms. Large manufacturing firms in Kenya face numerous challenges in their effort to implement plant maintenance strategies. The challenges are grouped as: culture based, people based, tools and equipment based, financial based, systems and management based. Large manufacturing firms in Kenya plant maintenance strategies are progressing positively towards world best strategies. The research has come up with recommendations that management has to invest in time, money and resources for a successful implementation of good maintenance strategies. Further research is also recommended to establish the reasons behind dominance of corrective maintenance strategies in manufacturing firms, the effect of plant maintenance strategies on the productivity of the firms and to expand the current research to include non manufacturing firms, buildings and other utilities.