Exploring the maintenance practices and strategies in the Libyan cement industry

The importance of the cement industry in Libya has been growing over the past few decades. Cement has become one of the fundamental materials for the construction industry, which in Libya matters a great deal to both government and people. This is because more than 97% of the construction industry depends on cement or cement based material such as blocks. Despite this great demand, the Libyan cement industry has suffered and is still suffering from declining productivity and cannot meet even the local minimum requirements for its products. The main underlying reason is the poor reliability of its production systems as a result of poor or insufficient maintenance. Previous studies indicate that cement manufacturing firms are operating at a rate not exceeding 50% of the total designed capacity. This is due to the lack of strategies to implement maintenance properly, since maintenance is considered one of the main pillars for ensuring the reliability of production system components at the highest level and consequently increasing operational efficiency, which ensures continuity and increases production. Thus, this study explores and addresses the barriers facing the implementation of efficient maintenance in ... (continues)