 | |||||||||||||||||
 
 
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
 
Total Productive Maintenance - A Holistic Approach To Maintenance Total Productive Maintenance, commonly abbreviated TPM, is a holistic approach to equipment maintenance that trains and involves operators and support personnel, institutionalizes continuous improvement and embodies the overall Lean culture of an enterprise. While TPM can be implemented as a standalone process, it is most effective when deployed as an integral part of the overall cultural transformation that takes place as the business adopts and implements a Lean business strategy. TPM is one of many Lean tools that challenge all employees to eliminate waste and improve equipment reliability, as well as overall business performance. TPM is not a short-term program, but rather a life-long commitment that requires a certain discipline about the fundamental way people and organizations care for their equipment. The major misconception about TPM is that it is a "maintenance process". However, to be successful TPM has to be an integrated part of the overall business strategy, which is driven and monitored by the operations area of the business and embraced and supported by leadership. Maintenance plays a key role in helping to establish and support the TPM process, but so do the operators and other support functions. This means that communication and training are key elements in the successful implementation of TPM. Starting Point Prior to deploying TPM, the organization should assess the management and operator support level within the facility. This means reviewing prior Lean process implementations, as well as the level and sophistication of maintenance personnel and systems. TPM should be initially deployed on constraint or critical equipment. Characteristics such as the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), the condition, potential availability and breakdown history of the equipment, and the openness and skill of the operators and support personnel for each constraint process should also be reviewed. A team of 6 - 10 people, consisting of the operators from each shift, a production supervisor, at least two maintenance personnel and representatives from the production planning, process engineering, quality and safety departments should be involved in the development of this specific project. This team receives training on each aspect of the TPM process and participates in the hands-on exercises required to execute it. While it is important that the proper tasks required to maintain the equipment are identified, documented and allocated during this process, it is equally important that the team develops, commits to and owns both the process and the results. It is likely that not all of the items the team identifies will be completed by the end of the process. These items need to get captured on an action-item list and incorporated into future continuous improvement weekly area meetings. All TPM tools should be treated as living documents that will be revised as improvements are made. Properly implementing TPM can drastically improve productivity, quality, safety, performance to schedule and, ultimately, the company's bottom line. In most cases, the intangible benefits gained through properly implementing the process in a standardized team-based approach are also equally valuable. About ATS: Advanced Technology Services, Inc. (ATS) was founded in 1985, employs over 1,700 people across the U.S. and Mexico and is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). ATS is headquartered in Peoria, IL. For more information, visit their website at www.AdvancedTech.com. • |
  
 A Holistic Approach To Maintenance - Production Tech
|
|||||||||||||||
