System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

Analyzing Barriers to the Development of Sustainable Predictive Maintenance in Industrial Equipment of Petrochemical Complexes Using FDM-DEMATEL (A Case Study)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mahnaz Zarei 1
Mehdi Keshavarzi 2
1 Corresponding author: Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
2 M.Sc., Department of Industrial Engineering, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
10.22034/sep.2026.2090483.1504
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the barriers to implementing sustainable predictive maintenance (SPM) in the industrial equipment of a petrochemical complex. The study was applied in purpose and descriptive–survey in design. Data were collected through a questionnaire from six petrochemical-industry experts selected using snowball sampling. First, 25 initial barriers extracted from the literature were assessed through a two-round fuzzy Delphi process, resulting in the validation of 21 barriers across five dimensions: organizational, social, environmental, technological, and financial. Subsequently, the cause–effect relationships among the barriers were analyzed using DEMATEL at two levels, including the main dimensions and the sub-barriers within each dimension. The results showed that social and technological barriers, with net-effect values of 1.653 and 1.178, respectively, were causal dimensions. In contrast, environmental, organizational, and financial barriers, with net-effect values of −1.737, −0.816, and −0.278, respectively, were classified as effect dimensions. At the sub-barrier level, “lack of a green maintenance strategy” (1.337), “lack of awareness of the importance of maintenance” (0.634), “lack of stakeholders’ awareness of green maintenance” (1.143), “shortage of specialists for maintaining green technology” (0.731), and “concern about production shutdowns” (0.654) were identified as the most influential causal barriers within their respective dimensions. The findings underscore the need to formulate a green maintenance strategy, enhance the awareness and skills of employees and stakeholders, develop technological capabilities, and manage the risk of production shutdowns to facilitate the implementation of SPM in petrochemical complexes.

Highlights

  • 21 barriers were identified in five categories: organizational, social, environmental, technological, and financial.
  • Technological and social barriers emerged as the main causal factors.
  • A strategic focus on technological and social dimensions can more effectively improve sustainable predictive maintenance systems.

Keywords
Sustainable Predictive Maintenance
Barriers
Petrochemical Industry
Fuzzy Delphi Method
DEMATEL
Subjects

Copyright © Mahnaz Zarei, Mehdi Keshavarzi

 

License

This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.

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System Engineering and Productivity
Volume 6, Issue 4 - Serial Number 21
Winter 2027
Pages 251-279

  • Receive Date 03 June 2026
  • Revise Date 04 July 2026
  • Accept Date 18 July 2026
  • First Publish Date 18 July 2026
  • Publish Date 20 February 2027