In the previous Newsletter we said that the purpose of TPM (Total Productive Manufacturing) is to double productivity and reduce chronic losses to zero. TPM also aims to create a clean, shiny, and pleasant factory, as this is the path to achieving one of its ultimate goals: Zero Accidents and Zero Pollution.
This can be exemplified by visiting plants that have achieved excellence in implementing continuous improvement processes, such as Unilever and ARCOR among the large companies, and Denso and Cibié Valeo among the local SMEs. In these cases, the companies understood that improving key business indicators begins with improving the environment in which people spend most of their lives: the factory.
Through a thorough application of 5S principles (as part of Autonomous Maintenance), leaks and spills are eliminated, and workplaces become cleaner and more well-organized. The basic organization, order, and cleanliness promoted by 5S are the first surefire step in developing a thorough TPM program.
This improves the environment and equipment, but it's people who bring about the greatest change. Once they feel recognized and cared for, they naturally begin to care for the company's assets. Ultimately, a company with TPM understands that the same way it treats its employees, the same way they will treat their customers.
A few years ago, it was common to believe that industries like cement and auto parts were essentially dirty and unsafe, and that little or nothing could be done to turn them into show-worthy places. Once we began implementing TPM, we began to realize how fallacious those arguments were, as the same people suggested a number of ideas to make that old equipment more efficient and improve those depressing environments. The older the equipment, the more opportunities for improvement there were. We also realized that the factory itself sells. That's why showing it off increases business opportunities.
When we had the opportunity to visit Japan, among the many companies we studied, cement plants were one of the biggest surprises we had. After applying each of the TPM Pillars with discipline, the results exceeded the most optimistic forecasts. The improvements in the Delivery , in the Quality and in the Costs were truly surprising. We were able to see firsthand that eliminating dirt and clutter is essentially a political decision, the results of which are easily verified by benchmarking key indicators against these clean and safe factories.
Eliminating dirt becomes a way to combat waste and detect equipment problems early on that could lead to unwanted downtime and even accidents. Thanks to TPM, industries of all types and sizes become safe and clean, and this is the beginning of a continuous process of improvement that leads directly to superior performance, enabling them to compete globally.
Furthermore, the number of accidents increases in direct proportion to the number of minor downtimes. Therefore, developing people's skills is critical, enabling them to address the root causes of problems and thus eliminate failures. Operators trained in TPM care more about their equipment and are better able to immediately detect abnormalities and resolve them quickly. Therefore, the role of the Human Resources department is critical.
Finally, to increase productivity and minimize accident and pollution problems we must:
• Promote a physical and human environment geared towards eliminating losses.
• Develop people who are intimately familiar with the equipment and who are constantly aware of safety.
That's why Operations and Maintenance must work together to minimize the dangerous potential of equipment and facilitate the learning process that leads to success.
Once again, we see how misunderstanding TPM as a purely maintenance program is misleading. As an Industrial Management System, TPM provides a step-by-step method for increasing an organization's ability to meet demand for products and services.
