a tool change is imminent, he will do his inspection during that period. He will also time his service to coincide with the end of each batch of material.
He can hear the pitch of the high-speed presses. From his experience he knows that press #1 is running slow and 2, 3, 4 and 5 are right on the money (so to speak). He verifies his hunch by looking at the LCD readout on the Press Control Center. Presses are slowed down sometimes to reduce the number of problems.
Jim knows from his TPM training that “running slower than specification” is one of the losses that it is his job to track down. Making sure all the presses are running correctly, he calls the TPM coordinator for the coining department. They discuss the slowdown and decide to run the press at full speed and watch it closely.
After three hours of perfect operation, the blank feeder jams up. Jim calls the TPM coordinator and they agree to look into the problem. The problem is cleared and the machine is turned back down until the next day, when the team can meet and take a look. Jim calls the floor supervisor and tells him that Press #1 will be out of service the next day for a few hours.
Jim comes in the next day and goes through TLC (Tender Loving Care which translates to Tighten, Lubricate, Clean) on his other presses. A relief operator is assigned to the other presses while the TPM team looks at Press #1. Step one is a thorough hands-on cleaning and inspection. The feeder is looked at very closely.
It becomes clear that the feed fingers have been messed up and are slightly bent. The feeder tube also has some irregularities, and five bolts are loose. These problems are cleared up; then the machine is run up to full speed. The press is stable for the remainder of the shift. Jim tells the second shift operator to keep an eye on Press #1, and reminds her to clean up coffee cups left inside the sound enclosures.
Jim goes home feeling that he made a little, but real, contribution to the organization that day.
Promises Made at a Recent TPM Conference
As discussed previously, oil refining is not a natural home for TPM. Nevertheless, the adoption of certain precepts will make significant improvement possible. The following precepts were developed recently at a TPM conference for oil refiners in the Persian Gulf:
• Manufacturing equipment uptime: up 40%
• Unexpected equipment breakdowns: down 99%
• Equipment speed: up 10%
• Defects caused by equipment: down 90%
• Equipment output (productivity): up 50%
• Maintenance costs: down 30%
• Return on investment: increased several hundred %
• Safety: approaching zero accidents
• Improved job satisfaction
Other TPM targets included:
• Obtain minimum 80% OPE (Overall Plant Effectiveness).
• Obtain minimum 90% OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
• Run the machines even during lunch. (Lunch is for operators and not for machines.)
• Operate in a manner so that there are no customer complaints.
• Reduce the manufacturing cost by 30%.
• Achieve 100% success in delivering the goods as required by the customer.
• Maintain an accident-free environment.
• Increase the suggestions from operators by 3 times*.
• Develop multi-skilled and flexible workers.
Improvement in the Delivery of Maintenance Service
For one second, let’s examine TPM and delivery of maintenance service. It is argued by TPM professionals that much of the pure labor benefits flow from the simple fact that the operators are already in front of the machine with the tools and materials whereas the maintenance personnel have to travel. That is true, but not the whole story. TPM is one of the most effective methods of improving the delivery of maintenance service, largely eliminating the time needed for custody transfer, job instructions, travel, and collecting tools and materials, while increasing the effectiveness of the equipment.
In fact, a simple PM Service can take 3 times longer for maintenance personnel than for operations personnel (even at the same depth).
Example:
When maintenance workers do a PM on a piece of equipment, they must go through a variety of steps. These steps are essential, but not productive. In this case, a 45-minute PM might actually take over 400 minutes. In a TPM environment, the same job might be done in 1/3 of the time (Exhibit 2-1).
If this time savings were the only benefit, the program would be a good solid single or double. With the other benefits in improving the OEE (described in full in Chapter 6), TPM is a home run.
Exhibit 2-1 Comparing PM by Maintenance and the Same PM by a TPM Team Member
Selling TPM to Different Stakeholders
If we want to sell TPM within a company, we have to discuss the outcomes that would attract different stakeholder groups. Each such group has different interests, responsibilities, and concerns. We also have to directly address the fears that this kind of change brings on.
Top management and shareholders
The first stakeholder group is management (top management). This group is concerned about profit, getting product out the door, long term viability, and safety. They are sensitive to public opinion and the opinion of shareholders. They also look at any program as a cost that had better provide a return on investment. Last, this group might have bonuses tied to profitable output. Therefore, they will not want to rock the boat unless they see a significant advantage for themselves.
The essential question is how would we prove these benefits? One of the cores of TPM is a rigorous approach to the measurement of all the production losses. For example, the first benefit below (reduced breakdowns and emergencies) is a metric that can be generated from the CMMS for the pilot area. For the other benefits, the metrics are available in TPM, CMMS, or other systems as shown.
Benefits of TPM for top management and shareholders sticking to TPM for the long haul
| • Reduced equipment breakdowns and emergencies: | CMMS |
| • Improved equipment effectiveness and throughput: | OEE |
| • Improved product quality: | OEE or quality system |
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