Page 196 - DMGT524_TOTAL_QUALITY_MANAGEMENT

Unit 13: Total Productive Maintenance

significantly reduce their useful life. Operators ignore the early warning signs of pending Notes
failure. Furthermore, I always hear at least 10 reasons why “we can’t change the way we
do things around here.”
What if other industries took the same path as these organizations? Take, for example, the
aircraft maintenance industry. There is a high degree of discipline from the certifications
of those who perform the maintenance to the suppliers of parts and materials used on the
job. Procedures are very specific and every process and step is documented. Consequently,
with over 27,000 take-offs and landings every day in the U.S., aircraft crashes due to
equipment failure rarely happen. Another good example is NASCAR Winston Cup racing.
The best-of-the-best in stock car racing depend on reliable equipment to do their job;
every race car must meet rigid safety guidelines and has to be reliable. The old saying in
the pits is: “If you can’t finish, you can’t win.” Achieving 100 percent reliability takes
discipline and teamwork. Organizations that want to compete and become “World Class”
need to successfully implement Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) programs.
TPM requires effective leadership from the start. That is part of the meaning of “total” in
Total Productive Maintenance. Without effective leadership that links TPM efforts to the
business and holds people accountable for performing highly specified work, equipment
performance and reliability will continue to decline and TPM initiatives will be short-
lived. Many of today’s business leaders have risen through the ranks when maintenance
was only responsible for “fixing things” – not for preventing problems. Viewing
maintenance as a non-value-adding support function, they often subject the maintenance
department to severe cost-cutting; this usually results in higher costs due to decreased
equipment effectiveness.
Companies that have been successful usually follow an implementation plan that includes
the following 12 steps:
Step 1: Announcement of TPM: Top management needs to create an environment that
will support the introduction of TPM. Without the support of management, skepticism
and resistance will kill the initiative.
Step 2: Launch a formal education program: This program will inform and educate
everyone in the organization about TPM activities, benefits, and the importance of
contribution from everyone.

Step 3: Create an organizational support structure: This group will promote and sustain
TPM activities once they begin. Team-based activities are essential to a TPM effort. This
group needs to include members from every level of the organization from management
to the shop floor. This structure will promote communication and will guarantee everyone
is working toward the same goals.
Step 4: Establish basic TPM policies and quantifiable goals: Analyze the existing conditions
and set goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-based.

Step 5: Outline a detailed master deployment plan: This plan will identify what resources
will be needed and when for training, equipment restoration and improvements,
maintenance management systems and new technologies.
Step 6: TPM kick-off: Implementation will begin at this stage.
Step 7: Improve effectiveness of each piece of equipment: Project Teams will analyze each
piece of equipment and make the necessary improvements.
Step 8: Develop an autonomous maintenance program for operators: Operators routine
cleaning and inspection will help stabilize conditions and stop accelerated deterioration.
Contd...

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