Rising repair bills, repeated breakdowns, and maintenance teams that never seem to have enough spare parts on hand — these are the everyday signs of a maintenance operation still stuck in traditional thinking. The costs keep climbing, but the reliability rarely improves.

This course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy introduces value engineering as a structured way out: a functional analysis approach that improves performance and cuts cost by focusing on what a process or asset is actually meant to do, without compromising quality or reliability.

Participants move from the core principles of value engineering through to its hands-on applications in equipment maintenance, spare parts management, and process improvement, building the skills to spot waste and design workable, value-driven solutions.

Who Should Attend?

• Engineers and technicians working in operations and maintenance.
• Project managers and technical department heads in industrial and service facilities.
• Quality management and institutional development officers.
• Consultants and planners aiming to improve performance and reduce costs.

Knowledge and Benefits:

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Understand the fundamental principles of value engineering and its fields of application.
• Analyse the functions of operational and maintenance systems to improve performance.
• Apply practical methods to reduce cost without affecting quality or efficiency.
• Design innovative, value-based solutions and integrate them with asset management and preventive maintenance.

Module 1: The Real Cost of Traditional Maintenance

• Rising costs of repairs and repeated failures.
• Lack of efficiency and poor utilisation of maintenance resources.

Module 2: What Value Engineering Actually Means

• Definition of value and its types; the relationship between function and cost.
• Origins and development of value engineering.
• Its contribution to waste reduction, engineering innovation, and management decision quality.

Module 3: The VE Method: From Functions to Analysis

• Stages of value analysis and the difference between value analysis and cost reduction.
• Defining primary and secondary functions, and methods for formulating and analysing them.
• Classifying functions by importance and the relationship between function cost and performance.

Module 4: Functional Analysis Tools and Techniques

• The FAST method (Function Analysis System Technique) and cross-functional analysis.
• Using illustrative diagrams for value analysis.
• Using performance data to support decisions, and applying cost-function matrices.

Module 5: Applying VE on the Shop Floor

• Improving efficiency of production processes and reducing unplanned downtime.
• Evaluating low-cost operational alternatives.
• Compatibility with total quality management and integration into resource planning.

Module 6: Redesigning Maintenance and Spare Parts Management with VE

• Applying value analysis in maintenance planning and improving preventive maintenance programmes.
• Reducing unnecessary spare parts inventory and selecting suppliers based on performance value.
• Improving asset lifecycle through functional analysis.

Module 7: Making Value Stick: Continuity and Decision Support

• Adopting a culture of continuous improvement and periodic review of functions and costs.
• Using value reports in decision-making and evaluating the financial impact of recommendations.
• Allocating resources according to functional priority.

Module 8: Connecting Value Engineering to Organisational Strategy

• Aligning value analysis with institutional objectives.
• Supporting strategic plans with well-planned maintenance.
• Achieving competitive advantage through smart cost management.