Reliability Centered Maintenance
Build a failure mode-driven maintenance strategy for the assets, systems, and operating conditions that create the greatest business risk.
Allied Reliability uses a targeted reliability centered maintenance (RCM) approach to help maintenance, operations, and reliability teams reduce recurring equipment failures, improve asset performance, and focus maintenance tasks where they create measurable value.
Build Smarter Maintenance Strategies
Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is a structured method for determining what must be done to preserve asset function in a specific operating context. Instead of applying the same maintenance program across every piece of equipment, RCM processes examine functions, functional failures, failure modes, failure effects, and consequences so each task is technically justified and cost-effective.
Allied Reliability focuses RCM analysis on critical assets and chronic problems where the return is strongest. This targeted approach helps organizations improve existing maintenance programs, validate condition-based maintenance tasks, justify run-to-failure decisions, and identify design or operating changes that prevent failures before they enter the P-F curve.
SERVICES
Targeted RCM Deliverables and Related Methods
Asset Hierarchy Development
Functional hierarchy development and operating context definition
Preventive Maintenance Evaluation
Preventive maintenance optimization and predictive maintenance recommendations
HOW IT WORKS
From Analysis to Action
Allied Reliability begins by selecting assets that justify the level of analysis: critical equipment with chronic failures, quality losses, safety exposure, production constraints, high maintenance costs, or repeated condition monitoring findings. A cross-functional team then works through the seven classic RCM questions to define functions, identify functional failures, evaluate failure modes effects, and select the most appropriate maintenance or redesign action.
1
Define the Scope
Confirm scope, team roles, asset boundaries, and available data.
2
Prioritize Critical Assets
Review criticality, probability, and consequence so analysis time is focused on the right assets.
3
Define Asset Functions
Define asset functions and associated performance standards in the present operating context.
4
Analyze Failure Modes
Identify functional failures, failure modes, effects, and consequences.
5
Select Maintenance Strategies
Apply RCM decision logic to select condition-based maintenance, preventive maintenance, failure-finding, redesign, or run-to-failure actions.
5
Implement Maintenance Plans
Translate the analysis into CMMS-ready tasks, implementation priorities, and follow-up actions.
our approach
Targeted RCM Analysis
Allied Reliability uses a Targeted RCM approach aligned with the evaluation criteria and decision logic established by SAE JA1011. The method is designed for industrial teams that need rigorous failure analysis, but also need practical recommendations that can be implemented with available people, time, data, and budget.
Up-front preparation to define scope, facilitators, team members, and asset data requirements
Probability and consequence review to prioritize individual failure modes and guide business decisions
FMECA to identify failure modes, failure effects, consequences, and technically feasible maintenance tactics
Follow-up support to move recommendations into job plans, PMs, PdM routes, spare parts decisions, and execution routines
Function and functional failure definition so maintenance tasks are tied to required performance standards
Solutions
Operational Problems RCM Helps Solve
A well-run reliability-centered maintenance program gives the organization a defensible basis for what work should be performed, why it matters, and how it should be executed.
Recurring Equipment Failures
RCM helps identify why assets continue to fail and what proactive changes will reduce or eliminate the repeat failure pattern.
Ineffective Maintenance Tasks
Task selection connects maintenance tasks to failure modes, consequences, and performance standards rather than habit or calendar frequency alone.
PdM Programs Without Failure Mode Logic
RCM clarifies what each condition monitoring task is expected to detect and whether the technology, interval, and response process are appropriate.
Run to Failure Decisions
When no suitable preventive task exists, RCM provides a structured basis for run to failure decisions, redesign, or other failure management actions.
RESOURCES
Related Resources for Reliability Centered Maintenance
Industries
Supporting Reliability Across Critical Industries
We partner with asset-intensive industries where uptime, safety, and operational performance are essential. Helping teams help teams improve maintenance practices, strengthen reliability, and support more consistent production outcomes.
Paper & Forest Products
Chemical Processing
Oil & Gas
Food & Beverage
Mining & Materials
Hospitals & Healthcare
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Reliability Centered Maintenance
What is reliability centered maintenance?
Reliability centered maintenance is a structured process for determining the most appropriate failure management strategy for an asset in its operating context. It links functions, failure modes, consequences, and maintenance tasks.
How is Targeted RCM different from traditional RCM?
Targeted RCM focuses analysis on critical assets, systems, and failure modes where the business value is strongest. This makes the process more practical for facilities that need meaningful results without analyzing every asset at the same depth.
What data is needed to begin?
Useful inputs include an asset hierarchy, criticality ranking, equipment history, work order data, PM tasks, PdM findings, operating context, drawings, and input from maintenance, operations, reliability, and engineering personnel.
What are typical RCM outputs?
Outputs may include decision worksheets, optimized PM and PdM tasks, failure-finding tasks, run to failure justifications, redesign opportunities, spare parts recommendations, and an implementation roadmap.
Can RCM improve an existing predictive maintenance program?
Yes. RCM can verify whether condition monitoring tasks are matched to known failure modes, whether intervals are appropriate, and whether follow-up work is defined clearly enough to prevent functional failure.
How do we know which assets to analyze first?
A criticality analysis is the best starting point. Assets with high consequence, chronic failures, quality losses, safety exposure, or high maintenance cost typically provide the strongest RCM return.
