Maintenance Research Group
Maintenance is defined as
the combination of activities by which equipment, assets or systems are kept
or restored to a state in which it can perform its designated function. It
is an important factor in product quality and can be used as a strategy for
successful competition. Maintenance plays a critical role in preserving and
prolonging equipment and assets life cycle. It is emerging as an
interdisciplinary field and currently knowledge is being generated in this
field. On the other hand, over the last four decades the kingdom of Saudi
Arabia has developed a huge infrastructure and an industrial base in
petrochemical and petroleum industry that requires effective and efficient
maintenance. The importance of maintenance has been realized in the
Kingdom's developmental plans. Specifically item 10 of the second principal
in the sixth developmental plan (1415-1420 H) emphasizes the need to include
maintenance and operation as an integral part of any project and all
considerations should be made at the design stage to minimize maintenance
requirements as much as possible.
The maintenance research group (MRG) will focus on activities related to the
broad area of maintenance. Maintenance is an interdisciplinary filed of
research that requires expertise in different areas. These areas include
Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Management and other areas.
The group brings together faculty and students from various fields to work
on interdisciplinary research projects which focus on problems relevant to
local industry needs. The Group will conduct theoretical and model-based
research, empirical research and detailed field-based studies of maintenance
problems.
One of the prime targets of the MRG is to enrich the educational experience
of undergraduate and graduate students. MRG will enhance the educational
process in a multidisciplinary environment by providing students with the
opportunities to conduct industrial projects to satisfy senior projects,
co-op and Master Thesis requirements.
The faculty members and the staff of the MRG have been actively engaged in
maintenance teaching, training and research for three decades. The faculty
members within the Group have authored several books and established an
international Journal, The Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering (JQME),
published by Emerald in the United Kingdom. In teaching, the faculty members
have been offering undergraduate and graduate courses on maintenance
planning and control for the past decade. In addition, they have been
conducting training courses to industry on regular basis.
The Group aims to become a focal point of knowledge generation and
dissemination in the area of Maintenance Engineering and Management.
Group Members
For more information, contact the group co-ordinator
at
mrg@kfupm.edu.sa
. or visit us on the gorup website here.
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