Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Total productive maintenance (TPM) is productive maintenance carried out by all employees through small group activities. In this respect it can be considered analogous to total quality management programs: for example, the dual goal of TPM is zero breakdowns and zero defects. When breakdowns and defects are eliminated, equipment operation rates improve, costs are reduced, spare parts inventory can be minimized, and, as a consequence, overall productivity increases. TPM works to eliminate what are termed the “six big losses” that are regarded as formidable obstacles to equipment effectiveness. They are: • Downtime : (1) equipment failure from breakdowns; (2) setup and adjustment from exchange of dies in injection‐molding machines, etc. • Speed losses : (3) idling and minor stoppages due to the abnormal operation of sensors, blockage of work on chutes, etc.; (4) reduced speed due to discrepancies between designed and actual speed of equipment. • Defects : (5) process defects due to scraps and quality defects to be repaired; (6) reduced yield from machine start‐up to stable production. It has been reported that typically, within three years from the introduction of TPM, companies show 15–25 percent increases in equipment operation rates while others show a 90 percent reduction in process defects. Labor productivity is generally increased by 40–50 percent. In the years following ... log in or subscribe to read full text