Operations Enhancement in NAFDAC using Reliability-Centred Approach

This research explored how to enhance the functionality of equipment utilized by the national agency for food, drug administration and control (NAFDAC) in assessing food and drug quality through the use of reliability analysis. Evaluating improvements in mechanical equipment is crucial for condition-based maintenance as it helps mitigate costs and boost efficiency. Failing to enhance mechanical equipment operations can lead to decreased output, inflated expenses, equipment malfunctions, and periods of inactivity. Consequently, assessment methods like reliability have been implemented as standard practices for the planning, construction, operation, maintenance, and management of such equipment. This approach has led to the development of reliability models designed to appraise the reliability of these devices for the sake of improvement. The data leveraged for this study was sourced from the national agency responsible for food, drugs, and regulatory affairs. The information presented focused on Gas Chromatography equipment, which is key for determining process and equipment reliability. The reliability data collected was input into a software program created with the MATLAB and Simulink environment. The outcomes of the simulations were used to assess the reliability of the employed equipment. The normal distribution curve generated in this analysis aligns with the results from the reliability models, frequency distribution curves, as well as the calculated mean and standard deviations. Reliability metrics include mean time between failures, mean time to failure, mean time to repair, and the bathtub curve, which reveals various parts being inaccurately measured, all indicated improvements in the equipment. The findings indicated that over a one-year period, the mean time to failure recorded was 14012.99 hours, the mean time between failures was 27896.1039 hours, while the mean time to repair was determined to be 13883.11688 hours. These results were based on a total of 1540 breakdowns, and the reliability figure stood at 0.99.