Visual Conditions Improve As Systematic
Equipment Improvement Is Made Through TPM
By Ronnie Daughtry
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a partnership between
operators, maintenance personnel, leadership, and the entire organization in the care and maintenance of equipment. Outside of the
associates that make up the organization, capital equipment is the most important resource an organization obtains.
There are several quantitative metrics
that organizations track that indicate or measure TPM effectiveness. Chief among the core metrics tracked is Overall Equipment
Effectiveness (OEE) followed by other metrics like downtime, planned verses unplanned maintenance, number of breakdowns, Mean Time
To Repair (MTTR), and Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) just to name the most common metrics. However
qualitatively, the most significant factors that indicate that a TPM system is beginning to work is first, the improvement in visual conditions of
the equipment and second, the involvement of the operators in regards to the equipment.
Equipment
Condition
The Five S (5S) system (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) is a fundamental and primary approach to establishing the TPM system. This system in its
proper approach and meaning is not a housekeeping methodology but is a system for cleaning, standardizing, maintaining, and upgrading. The end result
is a system where the initial waste has been eliminated and is continually addressed through identification and elimination of the source contaminants
and systems that continually contribute to waste in the area. Consequently,
visual machine conditions improve as a result of five S efforts. Poor Five S implementation is the single most fundamental contributing factor in a
failed TPM effort. Long-term equipment effectiveness may not be sustained as a result of poor 5S regardless of major efforts to
eliminate downtime, improve PMs, and even the purchases of new equipment to improve the equipment effectiveness. The initial ills
of poor equipment management are eventually uncovered and supported by a culture of operators that simply do not relate to the
equipment. Five S not only helps operators relate to the equipment and environment, but it helps to establish the culture necessary for
TPM.
Proper
Assessment
In addition to a strong 5S focus,
proper assessment of machine conditions can also be a motivating factor to operators, front line supervisors, managers, and leaders. The equipment
assessment is an important tool in evaluating the baseline for equipment conditions. This tool enables the organization to take a snapshot of
the equipment conditions, the perceptions about equipment conditions, and performance of equipment at a point in time. This tool works best when a
cross functional group approach is used however, it primarily includes operator input and involvement in the completion of the
assessment. In addition, photos can and should be added to the assessment and utilized to document the before conditions of all
equipment addressed. Again, involving the operators is critical and primary to the success of the TPM system. The equipment
assessment and 5S efforts are two key methods of involving the operators in a hands-on experience with equipment improvement.
TPM
TPM is a partnership between operators,
maintenance, supervisors, and leaders in the care and improvement of equipment. It is not strictly a maintenance program. It is however,
a corporate effort. The end result of this effort is equipment that performs when it is scheduled to run and machines that are
restored or maintained in a pristine condition.
The overall equipment conditions in the
organization will tell the tale of what equipment management is truly about in the organization. One can evaluate equipment at various stages in the life cycle and uncover how well the equipment is managed in the
organization. Again, we must establish a system that will involve the operators and others in the care of equipment.
Make The
Connection
Up front planning is vital for TPM.
Leadership must refocus and must demonstrate commitment to TPM. Once again, 5S efforts drive the fundamental change at the operator level. However,
as operators uncover abnormalities and report conditions for equipment improvement, management then has a fundamental responsibility to ensure
repairs, and address or remove any barriers related to the equipment abnormality. In many organizations, this is a serious disconnect that results in
a failed attempt to implement TPM. If there is no demonstrated commitment from leadership in the eyes of the people that handle the equipment on a day
to day basis, the direction from leadership to implement TPM will be interpreted as “lip service” or as a “program of the
month”. The true connection is that visual improvements begin to occur as operators in cooperation with maintenance and
management begin to address equipment related issues together to make improvement. This is the spirit of TPM.
Organizations may lay claim to the fact
that they are seeing real benefits from TPM due to improvement in OEE, number of breakdowns, and other quantitative metrics that will show bottom line
benefits to the organization. Performance and stability is after all the goal. However, in order to sustain and mature the system over time 5S and
involvement must be secured in the beginning. Then, by its very nature and order, visual conditions of equipment and operator involvement will set
the stage for systematic improvement made through TPM. |
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About the
Author: Ronnie Daughtry is a Manager of Project Operations and Senior Lean
Consultant with The ACCESS Group, LLC (TAG) headquartered in the Nashville, TN area. Ronnie has over 17 years of manufacturing experience guiding lean
implementation ranging from the shop floor level to managing from a divison level and working in locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico,
and Europe.
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