Total Productive Maintenance | elprofevirtual.net

Benefits of Using Total Productive Maintenance in Manufacturing Units

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a comprehensive maintenance system designed to incorporate in the production processes to integrate the better than before quality standards for continual improvement. The system advocates the idea of proactive and preventative maintenance of machineries and equipments to achieve the maximum efficiency. The approach diminishes the traditional difference between the primary responsibilities of maintenance and production departments because this approach develops the culture of shared responsibility for ‘no breakdown or slow down because of faults, unplanned maintenance or accidents’.

Difference between TPM and TQM:

TPM closely resembles to Total Quality Management (TQM) program and numbers of tools like employees’ empowerment, documentation, and benchmarking etc. used in TQM also. Some key similarities in-between TPM and TQM are:

• Commitment and active involvement of higher management is required in both the programs
• Employees need to be empowered to take initiatives for correction of faults or to avoid possible problems
• Implementation of TPM and TQM is a long-term process that needs continual learning program
• Implementation of both receives initial stage resistance from the employees for accepting the incorporated changes

Benefits of Total Productive Maintenance in Manufacturing Units:

Less Time Loss Because of Unplanned Maintenance:

MRC Bearings, aerospace industry supplier, succeeded to achieve almost 98 % reduction in unplanned maintenance period within eight months after introducing TPM program.

TPM approach is orientated around employee’s empowerment; it encourages the operators to take the ownership of the machinery. As a result, manufacturing unit sees increased production uptime. TPM approach advocates for allocating the tasks completed by maintenance personnel to respective production person. It makes everyone responsible for equipment and machinery upkeep. Under TPM regime, the machine operator carries out maintenance and cleaning tasks on agency-to-day basis; thus, the operator gets proactive approach towards identifying the developing issues at early stage. The sharing of responsibility frees up the maintenance staff to carry out other value-adding jobs.

Safer Production Floors and Encouraging Working Environment:

TPM model is made up of the ‘5S foundation principles’ —

• Sort (eliminate anything that is not truly needed in the work area)
• Set in Order - Organize the items)
• Shine - Clean & inspect the working area
• Standardize - Create the standards for above the three domains
• Sustain – Follow the standards regularly

The continuous focus on 5S and regular upkeep of equipments and machinery result in higher peak performance of machines and operators both. The production floor workers face fewer problems because of lubricant leakage, loose ball bearings, or the hidden issues. Sorted, ordered, clean, and standardized production floors are safer and encourage the concerned employees to follow TPM’s eight pillars on the roadmap of ‘better’ production performance-

1. Continuous Improvement
2. Autonomous Maintenance
3. Planned (preventative) Maintenance
4. TPM Training
5. Early Equipment Management
6. Quality Maintenance
7. TPM in Office
8. Safety & Environment

Increased Quality Output

TPM guides for ‘Quality Maintenance’: therefore, this approach integrates the quality improvement measures into production processes. This approach drastically improves quality and customers’ satisfaction. The quality maintenance reduces the variation in quality and empowers the employees to deliver on the time as is planned and expected by the seniors. Quality maintenance reduces frequent need of calling TPM professionals besides reducing the maintenance cost. The consistency in production increases the quality output at same standards but at the lower production cost.

Measurable Results of TPM:

Achieving the ‘perfect production’ is the ultimate goal of TPM; the success of TPM implementation is measures through Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) score; it is a gold-star standard to rate the productivity in manufacturing units. OEE delivers true image of TPM implementation results providing the roadmap for what is to be done next for the better process production settings. How to measure OEE? Availability (no breakdowns) X Performance (no small stops or slow running) X Quality (no defects) = OEE score (where 100% = Perfect Production).

Database knowledge helps the production managers to identify the loss areas and the scope for betterment through more customized TPM. ‘Perfect production’ with zero defects, zero accidents and zero breakdowns seems like a dream for the manufacturing units but professionally implemented TPM makes it a reality.

Improved Moral of Employees: When ownership of machines/equipments and particular floor area is shifted over the concerned user, it delivers the unique sense of importance also for organization; therefore, employee becomes more committed to achieve the maximum efficiency of the machine. Improved moral for trouble free consistent production helps the organization to get more output in less time and at less maintenance cost.

Higher Customers’ Satisfaction & Improved Brand’s Repute:  When the customers continue to get the ordered goods on the time with same quality at competitive rate, they trust the brand more. Higher customers’ satisfaction benefits the manufacturing units by generating the referral business and with strengthened long-lasting relationships with existing customers.

Six big losses that a manufacturing unit can stop to reap the competitive benefits by implementing TPM are:

• Unplanned stops
• Small stops
• Setup & adjustments
• Slow running
• Reduced yield
• Production defects

Luckily you have numbers of tools for total productive maintenance; some of those, easily available, are- Inspection Cards; Tags; OEE Goals; TPM Training; Standard TPM forms; Computerized Maintenance Management System etc.

Concluding Note:

TPM benefits for a manufacturing unit come in several apparent and hidden ways. Successful TPM implementation can be administered by hiring the TPM consulting company or conducting the TPM certification training for the concerned employees or groups. TPM consultancy services are customized according to the particular objectives and identified needs; therefore, manufacturing units experience overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) within few months after taking TPM initiative.