Page 243 - TPM A Route to World-Class Performance

Case studies 217

Net annual cost savings included:
Changing sensors and moddying the shell cutting method to prevent
problems when welding the perimeter of the face mask.
Saving: €18 300 per made
Valve unit changed and adjustments made to fingers and vacuum to
prevent excessive glue contamination on noseclips.
Saving: €5400 per machme
New system implemented to check Modcon units upon receipt from
repairers as they persisted in breaking down.
Saving: a300 per machine
The award is a testament to the acluevements made by the company to
date in its implementation of TPM.
3M will continue to coach the TPM teams through the milestones and
levels to ensure that 3M Aycliffe is a world-class manufacturer.
In the new Millennium, the site is striving to link its continuous improvement
activities into the business holistically and WLU be investigating ways of
benchmarking progress.
TPM is about continuous improvement. If you improve, you get better
and become more competitive. The process of TPM is never-ending, a journey
with no firtal destination. For 3M, the future will see TPM become a culture
and not just an initiative.

By Clive Marsden, Technical Directm, and Chris Rose, TPM Mamgcr

1 .O Background issues

Famous for producing the world’s biggest-selling medicated sweets, HaUs
throat lozenges, Adams (Warner Lambert) is a company synonymous with
quality pharmaceutical, healthcare, shaving and confectionery products. Listed
among the world’s top 100 companies, Adams counts Wilkinson Sword,
Benylin, Clorets, Dentyne, Stimorol gum and Tetra among its famous brands.
In 1994, the then Maintenance Manager, Clive Marsden, commissioned an
audit of the maintenance function at its Manchester factory, which employs
500 staff and produces approximately 600 tonnes of sweets a week. The results
kughlighted a shortfall in data, a lack of operator involvement in the
maintenance function and organizational issues. As a result, Clive developed
a plan and gained enthusiastic backing - including financial backing - from
Alan Hulme, Plant Director, along with the Senior Management Team, to
address some of the issues highlighted by the audit.
As a result, a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)