Auto-Sector Interview Preparation

Keeps plant and equipment running reliably through maintenance, repair and improvement.

Scheduled maintenance carried out to prevent failures.

Repairing equipment only after it has failed.

Using condition data to predict and prevent failures before they happen.

Preventive is based on time or usage; predictive is based on actual equipment condition.

Total Productive Maintenance, a system to maximise equipment effectiveness with everyone involved.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness, equal to Availability times Performance times Quality.

Mean Time Between Failures, the average time between breakdowns.

Mean Time To Repair, the average time to restore equipment after a failure.

Tracking equipment parameters such as vibration and temperature to detect problems.

It reduces friction, wear and heat in moving parts.

A component that supports rotation and reduces friction between moving parts.

Detecting faults such as imbalance, misalignment and bearing wear.

Using infrared imaging to detect overheating in equipment.

A system that uses pressurised fluid to transmit power.

A system that uses compressed air to transmit power.

A Programmable Logic Controller used to automate machine control.

A stock of parts kept to repair equipment quickly.

A plan of when each maintenance task is to be performed.

A document that authorises and records a maintenance job.

A Computerised Maintenance Management System for planning and tracking maintenance.

Time during which equipment is not available for production.

Finding the underlying cause of a failure to prevent its recurrence.

Lockout and Tagout, a safety procedure to isolate energy before maintenance.

Operators performing basic cleaning, inspection and minor upkeep of their equipment.

Setting two shafts in line to reduce vibration and wear.

A drive that transmits power between pulleys using a belt.

Maintenance done to correct a fault and restore function.

The way in which a component or system fails.

An electrically operated switch used in control circuits.

A heavy-duty switch used to control motors and large electrical loads.

A condition of excessive current, or the device that protects a motor from it.

The recommended time or run-hours between lubrication of a component.

To measure the pressure in a hydraulic or pneumatic system.

A measurable indicator of maintenance performance such as OEE or MTBF.

Major maintenance performed while equipment is intentionally stopped.

Planned is scheduled in advance; unplanned responds to an unexpected failure.

To maximise equipment availability and reliability at optimal cost.

A diagnostic message indicating a detected fault in a controlled system.

To transmit power and change speed or torque between shafts.

Multiply Availability by Performance by Quality; for example 92% x 95% x 99% is about 86.5%.

MTBF is total operating time divided by number of failures; MTTR is total repair time divided by number of repairs.

Availability equals MTBF divided by the sum of MTBF and MTTR.

Autonomous and planned maintenance, focused improvement, quality maintenance, early equipment management, training, safety and office TPM.

Identify critical equipment, define tasks and intervals from manuals and history, plan resources and track completion.

A method that selects the right maintenance strategy based on each failure consequence.

Base it on criticality, failure consequence, cost and downtime impact.

Imbalance shows a one-times running-speed peak; misalignment shows strong two-times and axial vibration.

Possible lubrication failure, overloading or bearing wear.

Check the pump condition, relief-valve setting, leaks, fluid level and clogged filters.

Check air pressure, leaks, restricted lines, flow controls and seal wear.

Check the load, bearings, voltage, winding condition and the overload setting.

It detects wear metals, contamination and degradation to predict component condition.

Strengthen PM and PdM, improve spares availability, train operators and do root-cause analysis.

Stock based on criticality and lead time, set minimum and maximum levels and review usage.

MTBF is the average failure interval; reliability is the probability of running without failure for a period.

Use dial gauges or laser alignment to bring shafts true; misalignment causes vibration and bearing and seal failures.

Check load, lubrication, alignment, mounting and contamination, then correct the root cause.

Train operators to clean, inspect and do basic upkeep using standards and checklists.

Multiply downtime hours by lost production value plus repair and consequential costs.

Ranking equipment by the impact of its failure to focus maintenance effort.

Look for abnormal hot spots relative to similar components or to ambient.

Back up programs, check I/O and wiring, monitor faults and keep firmware and spares ready.

Preventive may replace good parts early; predictive maximises life but needs monitoring investment.

Make it safe, diagnose, repair or bypass to restore production, then root-cause to prevent recurrence.

It plans, schedules and records work orders, history, spares and KPIs.

Optimise PM frequency, adopt predictive methods, reduce breakdowns and improve spares management.

Identifying failure modes and effects to plan the right maintenance tasks.

Schedule maintenance in planned slots, coordinate with production and use predictive timing.

A failure-rate curve with high early failures, a low random-failure middle and rising wear-out.

Compare repair cost, remaining life, reliability, downtime and replacement cost.

Tighten connections, check insulation, do thermography, clean panels and test protection devices.

Monitor OEE, MTBF, MTTR, PM compliance and downtime, then act on the worst metrics.

It increases friction and heat, leading to wear, overheating and seizure.

Apply LOTO, use PPE, follow permits and verify zero energy before starting.

Define functions and failures, analyse consequences, select the right tasks, then implement and review.

Audit PM quality, do root-cause on the failure history, check for design or operating causes and adjust the strategy.

Analyse the failure distribution such as Weibull to choose intervals that minimise total cost and risk.

Improve diagnostics, spares readiness, repair procedures, training and equipment accessibility.

Monitor pressure and flow under load and check relief valves, internal leakage and pump performance at temperature.

Select critical assets, set baselines and alarm limits, schedule routes, trend data and act on alerts.

Look for gear-mesh frequencies and sidebands indicating tooth wear plus bearing fault frequencies.

Quantify avoided downtime, extended component life and fewer breakdowns against the monitoring cost.

Check shaft currents, lubrication, alignment, load and contamination, then correct the true cause.

Cut breakdowns with PdM and TPM, reduce micro-stops and changeover losses and address quality-related stops.

Classify by criticality and lead time, use min-max or order policies, and pool or standardise parts.

Plan the scope and schedule, sequence tasks and resources, manage safety and contractors, and control time and cost.

Contain it, root-cause with a formal method, add engineering controls and procedures, and verify effectiveness.

Capture sensor and process data, trend it against failures and use analytics to predict and prevent breakdowns.

Base it on the failure pattern: random failures favour condition-based; predictable wear favours time-based.

Fix leaks, correct alignment and lubrication, maintain motors and drives and tune compressed-air systems.

Track completion rates, audit task quality, link PM to failure reduction and refine the tasks.

Check power quality, I/O and sensor signals, wiring and grounding, and log events to catch the trigger.

Identify the top failures by cost and downtime, root-cause them and apply targeted reliability fixes.

Keep critical skills in-house, outsource specialised or peak work, and manage contractor quality and safety.

Track total spend against replacement value, benchmark it and reduce breakdowns and waste.

Address the operating practice and controls, train operators, and add protection or alarms.

Capture maintainability and reliability requirements early, set up PM and spares, and feed back launch issues.

Set alarm and trip thresholds, watch the rate of change and plan intervention before the limit.

Stabilise with strong PM and 5S, build criticality-based PdM, train staff, adopt a CMMS and continuously improve the KPIs.