Evaluation of Maintenance Management Systems for Polymer Processing Equipment in Nigerian Manufacturing Plants

Effective maintenance management for polymer processing equipment is critical for sustaining production output, minimising unplanned downtime, and extending capital equipment service life in Nigerian manufacturing environments where equipment replacement capital is often constrained. This study evaluates maintenance management systems for polymer processing equipment, including extruders, injection moulding machines, and blow moulding equipment, in manufacturing plants located in Ogun and Lagos states, South West Nigeria. A maintenance assessment framework based on planned maintenance, predictive maintenance, spare parts management, and maintenance records documentation was applied across 16 facilities through audit interviews with maintenance managers and site observations. Equipment downtime records for a 12-month period were analysed to identify failure frequencies, mean time between failures, and mean time to repair by equipment type and failure mode. Results reveal that 75 percent of facilities relied primarily on reactive breakdown maintenance rather than planned preventive maintenance programmes. Mean time between failures for injection moulding hydraulic systems averaged 340 hours, significantly below the manufacturer-specified 1200 hours, attributed to inadequate lubrication and filter replacement schedules. Spare parts stockout events contributed to extended repair times averaging 18 hours per breakdown occurrence. Only 19 percent of facilities maintained documented maintenance management systems with work order tracking. The study recommends transition to planned preventive maintenance programmes, adoption of computerised maintenance management software, and development of critical spare parts holding strategies for high-downtime equipment categories to improve equipment availability in South West Nigerian polymer processing plants. Keywords: maintenance management, polymer processing equipment, planned maintenance, equipment downtime, Ogun State