Total Productive Maintenance: Improving Equipment Effectiveness
Ongoing machine maintenance can play a crucial role in a healthy balance sheet, but a state of total productive maintenance (TPM) is one that can be hard to effectively achieve for numerous companies. More often than not, the preferred option is to adopt a break-and-fix attitude, ignoring the fact that processes and systems exist to prevent breakdowns and delays in manufacturing.
TPM has been part of the manufacturing lexicon for decades, and it is widely accepted that taking care of machines, equipment and processes adds business value to an organization. The concept—developed and refined in Japan in the 1970s—is linked to the need for companies to align their production goals with investment in machine maintenance and operational efficiency.
A company that sells widgets, for example, will need its widget-making machines to operate at peak efficiency on a daily basis. The machines are critical to the financial health of said widget producer and should be treated with the requisite amount of care and attention whenever possible. A prime focus of TPM is to be proactive rather than reactive, addressing the cause of accelerated machine deterioration by creating ownership between the operator and the machine itself.
A Holistic Approach To Maintenance
Research has shown that companies that take a holistic stance to equipment maintenance by introducing TPM into their working practices are less likely to experience breakdowns, product defects or slowed operations. As an added bonus, TPM has been proven to create a safe working environment and minimize the potential for workplace accidents.
The established TPM model has five principles that underpin its integration—sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. These principles, known collectively as 5S, create a foundation for well-running machinery through proactive and preventative techniques.
TPM's principles are enshrined in what is known as the eight pillars. The eight pillars of TPM are as follows:
- Autonomous Maintenance
- Focused Improvement
- Planned Maintenance
- Quality Management
- Early Equipment Management
- Education and Training
- Safety, Health, Environment
- Administration and Office
Bearing in mind that the system is designed to increase equipment reliability, the components of these eight pillars should be familiar and easy to understand. And while every manufacturing facility is different, the pillars were designed for integration into the working environment, irrespective of location.
On Demand: The 8 Pillars of TPM Webinar
On December 14, 2017, GenesisSolutions hosted a transformational webinar that discussed TPM and its relationship to the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) goal—the primary indicator of TPM effectiveness.
The 60-minute webinar reviewed the eight pillars and their relationship to the well-known major losses that occur on a manufacturing shop floor. These losses include equipment and set up failures, machine idling, minor stops, process defects and reduced yield. In addition, the presenters took a deeper dive into OEE via a step-by-step visual guide that gave participants an understanding as to how losses can affect their bottom lines. The session also addressed how businesses can prevent losses through cloud-enabled enterprise asset management (EAM) software solution such as Infor EAM.
Infor has recently been recognized as a leader in the Gartner 2017 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Management Software, and its EAM software is supported on all mobile devices and operating systems. With that in mind, the role of Infor EAM as related to the eight pillars of TPM will allow participants to understand how an effective maintenance strategy can be integrated into existing work practices.
For more information about TPM, view the recorded webinar session. To learn how machine condition monitoring and other core elements of EAM can maintain a healthy production line and balance sheet, read our related Insights in the Knowledge Center.