Operators + Maintenance personnel + Management = SUCCESS of the TPM system
Operators and repairers participate in the TPM, who together ensure an increase in the reliability of the equipment. Since operators are constantly near the equipment, they are the first to determine extraneous noise or vibration of the engines, the uncharacteristic creaking of drive belts and chains, oil leaks and air leakage. Operators should know the basic parameters of their equipment and check during each shift whether they meet the standards.
If the slightest defects are detected in the operated equipment, the repair service should be immediately notified, since the timely detection and immediate elimination of emerging problems is a key condition for eliminating accidents or completely stopping expensive mechanisms.
It is about Equipment Care!
The continuous improvement program is complemented by a system of General equipment care, or a general maintenance system (from the English Total Productive Maintenance, TPM).
Maintenance personnel need to maintain close contact with operators, tell them what to pay attention to when working on equipment in order to quickly identify possible problems. The basis of the TPM is the scheduling of preventive maintenance, lubrication, cleaning, and general inspection. And the management is obliged to ensure the implementation of these works qualitatively and on time. TRM and 5S techniques work hand in hand to ensure safety and high productivity at every workplace, significantly reducing the cost of equipment downtime.
Operators can be trained to perform simple repairs and maintenance on their own (e.g., replace belts and hoses, if necessary, add oil or grease). Operators must change their production culture, feel like diligent owners of the operated equipment, realize responsibility for it. They should perceive the repair crew as part of their team.
Care of equipment : TPM System
Most malfunctions occur on either new or old equipment. And insufficient attention and improper maintenance accelerate the process of its obsolescence and shorten the service life. By working together and identifying early-stage faults, a team of operators and service technicians can significantly extend the life of equipment by quickly localising problems before they cause serious accidents and costly downtime. To provide more effective support, this team should include management representatives who will determine the required number of preventive equipment shutdowns to perform routine maintenance. Management should also monitor the timely allocation of money for repair work.
To establish the causes of the decrease in productivity before this leads to a complete stop of production. The procedure for documenting data on the full efficiency of equipment (OEE, Overall Equipment Effectiveness) helps.
In most cases, it is advisable to record three parameters of equipment operation:
- Readiness (the percentage of time during which the equipment is in order and can start working at any time).
- Productivity (speed of operation) and output quality.
The TPM parameters can be included in the 5S checklist or displayed on a separate checklist. When TPM processes are carried out simultaneously, all staff involved are collectively responsible.
Records of the full efficiency of the equipment should be understandable to everyone. So it is convenient to use diagrams in them. Operators shall record all actual stopping times, regardless of their duration and causes. When the schedule is long and error-free. The recording of recurring problems will allow you to identify trends and outline ways to prevent production losses.