Int J Performability Eng ›› 2011, Vol. 7 ›› Issue (6): 593-603.doi: 10.23940/ijpe.11.6.p593.mag

• Original articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Information Logistics as a Guide for Research and Practice of e-Maintenance Operations

DAREK M. HAFTOR1, MIRANDA KAJTAZI2, and ANITA MIRIJAMDOTTER2   

  1. 1 Stockholm University School of Business, Stockholm University, SE-106 81, Stockholm, Sweden
    2 School of Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics, Linnaeus University, SE-351 95, V?xj?, Sweden

Abstract:

Although the development of e-maintenance operations is understood to offer promising opportunities, it seems to be mainly driven by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) applications development. This is unfortunate, as ICT has no value in itself; rather its benefit comes from the way in which it is utilized within its particular context. Thus, a conceptual framework is proposed to guide both the practice and the research of e-maintenance operations. The framework combines an Industrial Value Chain with a Buyer-Consumer Value Chain, where their intersections articulated in terms of categories derived from Information Logistics. This provides a structure for the conception of e-maintenance that needs to be populated with published research and current e-maintenance practice. This may uncover white spaces where research efforts deserve particular attention and are driven by value generation – for instance, economic. A brief case study, from a leading European truck-manufacturer, illustrates the proposed conceptual framework in application.