Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) started a new chapter in the history of preventive maintenance strategy setting. It was now possible to develop a scientifically based, highly successful maintenance program for complex systems. It developed as a result of the reliability problems and cost of maintenance of aircraft during the late 50’s and early 60’s. The result was a methodology called MSG-1, followed by the improved MSG-2. When MSG-2 was used contractually for the United States Department of Defence, it led to the present definition of RCM. In academic circles there developed a growing dissatisfaction with the technique [Pintelon et al (1999], of which part stems from watering down its scientific basis to make RCM more marketable [Moubray (2000)], while at least part is based on perceived inherent scientific weaknesses in the methodology itself. This thesis, in setting out to solve these limitations, makes several important contributions to the RCM methodology. The first of these is a method of concentrating the RCM analysis effort on the most important failure modes encountered by the organisation. Secondly, it introduces a Quality Improvement task in the RCM task selection tree, based on a limitation identified by Harris (1985). The third contribution is the addition of a formal task packaging methodology, following Gits (1984). The thesisalso combines the use of RCM for the most important failure modes with conventional maintenance tasks for the remaining failure modes, to form a total methodology for the typical industrial concern. It furthermore introduces the application of sound management principles in the implementation of RCM and lastly, blends concepts from different RCM authors, together with the innovations listed above, into one logical whole. In summary, the proposed revised methodology can play a very important part to achieve the goal of World Class manufacturing standards, including ensuring that the organisation’s maintenance effort is as proactive as possible. D13/4/90 / Thesis (PhD (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Industrial and Systems Engineering / unrestricted