This study focuses on the industrial machinery fleets in South Africa, aiming to provide a comprehensive methodological assessment and cost-effectiveness evaluation. Panel data analysis was employed to assess the cost-effectiveness of industrial machinery fleets in South Africa, considering factors such as maintenance costs, operational efficiency, and productivity gains. The analysis revealed that a significant proportion (75%) of machinery fleet investments were cost-effective over a five-year period, with an average return on investment of 1. 2 million per unit. This study underscores the importance of effective fleet management in maximising resource utilization and reducing operational costs for industrial machinery in South Africa. Recommendations include implementing regular maintenance schedules to prevent breakdowns and integrating predictive analytics for proactive fleet management. The maintenance outcome was modelled as Y₈ₓ=₀+₁X₈ₓ+uᵢ+₈ₓ, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.
Dikgakwati et al. (Thu,) studied this question.