What Does FRACAS Mean for Maintenance?

Have you ever experienced the repeated breakdown of an asset, even after repairing it multiple times? It’s a frustrating problem, but it’s exactly the kind of problem that Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) is designed to solve. Instead of just fixing what’s broken, FRACAS helps maintenance teams track equipment failures, find the root cause and create a plan of action to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Industries lose billions every year due to unexpected equipment downtime — but FRACAS eases this pain point by keeping track of failures, analyzing patterns and implementing long-term fixes.

3 Major Components of FRACAS 

There are three major components in the FRACAS process — failure reporting, failure analysis and failure correction. Together, they comprise a closed-loop cycle of feedback, analysis and action that results in eventual improvements in processes and assets. Each component is defined as:

• Failure reporting: Reporting of failure conditions occurring in a process, system, asset or component must be consistent and should include the failure time and date, the specifics of the incident (including its symptoms), how it was discovered and the scenario around its occurrence. 
• Failure analysis: Failure analysis is the systemic examination of failed assets, operational conditions and asset maintenance records to understand the cause of failure and prevent it from recurring. This detailed documentation can either exclude or support the interpretation of the failure’s root cause, but there’s not always a clear-cut conclusion for what has occurred.
• Failure correction: After completing failure analysis, you can now take corrective action, which can involve a number of solutions, from changing your processes or implementing a preventive maintenance strategy to additional staff training. The goal of this correction is to reduce or prevent the likelihood of failure in the future. Whatever action you take must be documented and monitored to measure its success and to make further adjustments where needed.

5 Steps in the FRACAS Loop 

There are five key steps in the FRACAS loop. These include:

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

FMEA is a method that highlights different ways in which an operational aspect can fail and how that failure can impact a company’s systems and assets. FMEA identifies and addresses potential issues that could slow or stop a company’s operations. FMEA is a proactive approach, as it identifies and prevents issues before they can occur.

There are three different types of FMEA: 

• Functional FMEA: FFMEA analyzes the associated risks with a company’s systems, assets and parts.  
• Design FMEA: DFMEA analyzes potential failures during a system or asset’s design phase.
• Process FMEA: PFMEA analyzes potential failures within an existing process or portion of a company’s operations.

Failure Code Creation

Failures are categorized with codes to streamline reporting and analysis and standardize data collection. Codes may be based on the type of failure that occurred (for example, software malfunction or corrosion) or system function (for example, electrical or mechanical failure). Coding also makes it easier for teams to detect patterns across multiple events.

By implementing a consistent coding system, businesses can improve tracking, enable automated reporting and make informed, data-driven decisions.

Work Order Analysis 

Teams review repair and maintenance records to determine how failures were addressed and whether the corrective actions they took worked. Analyzing work orders provides insight into small but important details, such as the technicians involved, the dates and the affected components. Work order analysis helps teams identify trends, assets and components that are prone to failure as well as contributing factors, including maintenance practices and operating conditions.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

RCA is used to identify the underlying causes of a problem. While systemic, RCA describes various tools and techniques used to diagnose an issue’s cause. Methods such as the 5 Whys, Ishikawa (Fishbone) Diagrams and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) may be used to break down failure causes. RCA focuses on identifying the failure’s core issue — whether it’s a design defect, human error, material degradation or environmental factors. By pinpointing the root cause, businesses can implement permanent solutions rather than temporary fixes.

Strategy Adjustment

The last step in the FRACAS loop is strategy adjustment, in which teams take action to prevent future failures by implementing corrective and preventive measures. This can include revising maintenance schedules, redesigning parts, strengthening training programs or improving quality control practices. The goal of strategy adjustment is to continuously improve processes based on insights from failure data.

Benefits of Performing FRACAS 

FRACAS offers companies several key benefits. These include: 

• Improving the reliability of systems: FRACAS helps businesses track failures, identify patterns and take corrective action. It allows systems to operate more efficiently, with less failures going forward.
• Enhancing an understanding of failures: Through reporting and root cause analysis, FRACAS provides greater insight into why failures occur. This deeper understanding allows teams to make informed decisions regarding design and operation while reducing defects and increasing system and asset lifespan.
• Decreasing downtime and inefficiencies: Unexpected asset failures will inevitably lead to downtime. By helping businesses detect and resolve potential failures early, FRACAS allows for continuous, efficient performance, which results in an improved workflow and better use of resources. 
• Optimizing costs: Unplanned downtime typically results in higher costs. FRACAS minimizes these expenses by proactively identifying and addressing issues before they can escalate into larger problems.
• Improving safety and compliance: FRACAS supports workplace safety and helps companies with regulation compliance. Identifying and mitigating risks reduces the likelihood of dangerous incidents, which can be a matter of life and death in industries like aerospace, healthcare and manufacturing.

An Example of FRACAS for Maintenance 

A conveyor belt motor in a manufacturing facility repeatedly fails, causing disruptions in productivity. To address the issue, FRACAS is used to systematically diagnose and resolve the problem.

FRACAS starts with failure reporting. A maintenance technician creates a report that includes details such as the date and time of failure, observed symptoms (in this case, overheating) and any error codes displayed on the asset’s diagnostic panel.

With accurate information now available for failure analysis, the team reviews the data collected to determine if similar failures have taken place in the past and how often they’ve occurred. Through an RCA, they discover that the failure is due to a malfunctioning cooling fan inside the motor, which causes it to overheat and shut down. These findings are then documented for record-keeping and future use.

Once the root cause is identified, the team puts a plan into action to correct the problem for the long term. They replace the faulty cooling fan with an upgraded model. They also update the FRACAS system with new part specifications and replacement procedures to ensure that future teams follow standard operating procedures when repairing or maintaining the conveyor belt.  Following repairs, the maintenance team monitors the motor’s performance to make sure overheating is no longer a problem.

The team evaluates whether adjustments to maintenance procedures are needed in the continuous improvement stage and decides that more proactive maintenance, like inspecting the fans on a set schedule, is required. This will reduce the likelihood of further overheating issues and extend the motor’s (and conveyor belt) lifespan. 

How a CMMS Can Help You With FRACAS 

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) like Coast makes implementing FRACAS easy by giving you on-the-spot access to reliable, real-time data. Since FRACAS relies on accurate failure tracking and analysis, our app helps by automatically recording equipment performance, maintenance history and failure patterns.

Coast’s app not only tracks failures but logs work orders and provides insights into recurring issues for everyone involved in a maintenance project. Pairing our CMMS with FRACAS is a powerful combination for better maintenance, lower costs and improved operational efficiency.

Book a demo today to learn more!