Reliability Analysis of Keith Centrifuge at a Meat Processing Plant in Windhoek, Namibia

Abstract

Critical equipment failures in a meat processing plant can shut down the business unit, resulting in a loss of output and financial loss. Furthermore, many stakeholders face risks because of equipment failures. The purpose of this study is to model the failures of the critical equipment which will in turn aid in the analysis of failure patterns and the production of various reliability estimations to prevent such losses. In a meat processing plant, the blood centrifuge is important equipment as failure will render the plant non-operational. This case study conducted the failure analyses of the ‘Keith' centrifuge at the meat processing plant in Windhoek, Namibia. Both parametric and nonparametric models were conducted with the help of computer software. In addition, sensitivity analysis was carried out on both models to improve the reliability of the equipment. The preventative maintenance model was also constructed and tested in the meat processing plant, and it provided good results.