Deploying Criticality Analysis in

Multi-Plant Reliability
Improvement Programs
Michel Cote & Serge Mathieu
Prosygma
Reliability and Maintenance
Professional Services

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 What is Criticality ?
A tool used to evaluate how equipment
failures impact organizational
performance in order to systematically
rank plant assets for the purpose of :

Reliability
PM /PdM Work Material
Improvement
Development Prioritization Classification
Initiatives

To ensure that
To prioritize To better
To support MRO reliability
activities dedicated prioritize work
initiatives to improvements are
to PM / PdM out of the
identify critical made based on risk
development or maintenance
spares rather than
optimization backlog
perception

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 The Process
Cross-functional analysis and input from
Operations and Maintenance, and as
required, input from Engineering,
Material Management, Environment and
Health and Safety representatives

Weigh the impact of a failure on each

asset across all 4 criteria

Impact on Impact on Impact on Impact on cost

safety
(0 to 4)
x environment
(0 to 4)
x quality x or production
= 0 to 256
(0 to 4) (0 to 4)

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 Impact on Safety
0 Potential to cause death or permanent injuries

1 Potential to cause non-permanent bodily injuries

2 Potential to cause significant inconvenience to personnel

3 Potential to cause minor inconvenience to personnel

4 Will have no significant impact on personnel

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 Deploying Criticality Analysis in
a Multi-Plant Reliability Program

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 One of the Major Tissue Producers
in North America
• Quebec (4)
• Ontario (2)

• Wisconsin (1)
• Pennsylvania (2)
• North Carolina (1)
• New York (2)
• Oregon (1)
• Arizona (1)
• Tennessee (1)

Mills located in the United States

Mills located in Canada

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 The Objective
• For all of the 15 mills, associate a criticality ranking to each
asset in the CMMS.

The Challenge
• Have the criticality ranking done for all of the 15 mills within
a schedule of 8 to 12 weeks.
• A total of 45,000 assets, ranging from 600 to 16,000 per mill.

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 Criticality Ranking
The criticality ranking is calculated by multiplying each of the scores (from 0 to 4) obtained
for each of the 4 criteria.
The total is then converted into one of the following 4 criticality rankings, namely A,B,C or D.
Equipment Criticality Evaluation Criticality
Description
Number Safety Environment Quality Economical Total = Ranking
PE-002 Pump xyz 4 4 4 1 64 A
PE-005 Pump ABC 4 4 4 2 128 B
VE-100 Blower YYZ 4 4 4 3 192 C
AG-201 Agitator DBC 0 1 4 4 0 A
CL-403 Air Conditionning 4 4 4 4 256 D

Evaluation Score Criticality Ranking

0 ≤ Criticality ≤ 96 Extreme =A
97 ≤ Criticality ≤ 145 High =B
146 ≤ Criticality ≤ 193 Moderate =C
194 ≤ Criticality ≤ 256 Low =D

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 Lessons Learned
• Prevent mill personnel from taking shortcuts –this is an
objective and quantitative process

• Avoid entering rankings one by one - work with IT to import

the criticality rankings in the CMMS

• Take the time to explain the advantages of a criticality

ranking system

• Make sure equipment hierarchy is adequate before you start

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 Keys to Success
• There is a wide variety of criticality tools and methods out there,
Keep it simple!

• Make sure to adapt the matrix with the operational context of each
facility

• It is OK to use the copy/paste method for identical or very similar

equipment in a facility

• Make sure you arrive prepared and organized

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 Questions ?
Michel Cote: mcote@prosygma.ca
Serge Mathieu: smathieu@prosygma.ca

WWW.PROSYGMA.CA

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