Strategic Engineering Asset Management

ABSTRACT Engineering Asset Management (AM) in capital intensive industries is argued part of an organisation’s management system with a role in competitive strategy development and implementation. While the AM system has an influential impact on the asset life cycle, little has been done in literature on its formation or link to organisational strategy. This thesis aims at further understanding the strategic role of the AM system. It begins by reviewing literature on the nature of this system and the compatible research methodologies associated with such a discipline. The AM system is socio-technical and interdisciplinary by nature so a retroductive case study methodology was adopted because its use of a hypothesised framework allows the development of the understanding of complex relationships. Next, a review of AM models or frameworks, and links to its organisational strategy was carried out and possible existing AM system activities, mechanisms and relationships were also explored. This thesis proposes a holistic framework for the AM system so that managers in capital intensive organisations can better understand how to manage asset lifecycles.