The Emergence of Maintenance as a Source of Competitive Advantage: A Sustainability Perspective from the Upstream Services Sector

Abstract

Abstract This paper aims to explore the emergence of maintenance as a source of competitive advantage in the upstream services sector, with a focus on the role of sustainability in enhancing the performance of maintenance processes. Specifically, the paper will present a conceptual framework that can be used to evaluate the sustainability of maintenance processes in services set-up, with an emphasis on the impact of external factors and the development of internal capabilities. By doing so, the paper seeks to contribute to the growing body of literature on sustainable maintenance and highlight the importance of sustainability in driving the success of maintenance processes. The methodology adopted for this study involves a review of the existing literature to identify the common sustainability framework used in the industry. The sustainability framework commonly used is based on the Brundtland Commission report (1987) and comprises three criteria: social, environmental, and economic, with a varying number of context-specific subfactors. The impact of these external factors on the performance of organizations is analyzed to determine their influence on sustainability performance or the development of internal capabilities. Additionally, qualitative research conducted on an upstream services company identified another important criterion contributing to the sustainable success of maintenance processes i.e. technical criteria. The evaluation of maintenance process sustainability can be based on four dimensions, namely technical, social, environmental, and economic, each with multiple criteria. The findings from the qualitative research demonstrate that the sustainable success of maintenance processes is a multi-level phenomenon that involves corporate, operational, and functional (process) levels of maintenance strategies. While sustainable maintenance is a relatively new concept for the petroleum industry, it has been commonly used in manufacturing and production settings in other sectors over the past decade. This study assessed the factors affecting the sustainable performance of maintenance processes by reviewing existing literature and proposing a conceptual framework. The framework's factors and subfactors were refined through qualitative research conducted on an upstream services company, highlighting the external factors contributing to positive outcomes and the development of internal capabilities. The proposed framework applies to any service provider setting to enhance the maintenance process's sustainable success.