Defect Elimination
Remove recurring causes of equipment problems rather than repeatedly restoring symptoms.
What this topic covers
Remove recurring causes of equipment problems rather than repeatedly restoring symptoms.
Core ideas
Repeat failures should trigger investigation into design, installation, operation, environment and maintenance quality.
Small chronic defects can consume more labor than rare dramatic failures.
Successful elimination is verified by sustained improvement after the change.
Program tradeoffs
Condition-based maintenance only works when degradation can be detected with enough lead time to act.
What good evidence looks like
Backlog and work priority should reflect risk, readiness and consequence—not age alone.
Lifecycle perspective
Repeat failures are opportunities to remove causes through design, installation, operating or maintenance improvements.