A survey of maintenance and service logistics management: classification and research agenda from a maritime sector perspective

Maintenance and service logistics support are required to ensure high availability and reliability for capital goods and typically represent a significant part of operating costs in capital-intensive industries. In this paper, we present a classification of the maintenance and service logistics literature considering the key characteristics of a particular sector as a guideline, i.e., the maritime sector. We discuss the applicability and the shortcomings of existing works and highlight the lessons learned from a maritime sector perspective. Finally, we identify the potential future research directions and suggest a research agenda. Most of the maritime sector characteristics presented in this paper are also valid for other capital-intensive industries. Therefore, a big part of this survey is relevant and functional for industries such as aircraft/aerospace, defense, and automotive.