Page 249 - TPM A Route to World-Class Performance

Case studies 223

of pump which significantly reduced the estimated capital expenditure
investment already allocated to this system.

Project focus
The initial workshop projects were followed by focused pilot projects to
improve the maintenance and operability of four key areas of plant:
0 MOLpumps
0 Seawater injection
Hydrocyclones
0 Separators

These were chosen by representatives of the complete platform team at the
Platform Conference. A thwd of each slvft team dedicated itself to improvements
in one of these four areas, using a nine-step WM-based improvement plan.
Initial difficulties
Continuous Improvement Fadtator, Mike Milne, sums up the problems
encountered at the start of the project:
We had many d_lfficulties to begin with. First we had to address
the problem of getting the time to attend the CI meetings. Teams
were tied to a spiral of readive performance that did not leave
enough time for proactive measures.
Platform management stepped in to set priorities that ensured
we broke free of this restriction: Safety, Production and CI and
the promotion of a greater awareness of the benefits of the
proactive approach.
Platform personnel also attended the 'Manufacturing Game' - a business
simulation, developed by Dupont, that drives home the benefits of running
a proactive business. Back on the platform, the teams planned and organized
a two-hour slot to meet and discsuss their CI project. Shift Team Leaders
(STLs) needed to provide resources that freed staff to attend the meetings. As
part of the Trip Objective process, measures were put in place to ensure that
this happened. 'This was not an easy target and it challenged the planning
skills and resourcefulness of each STL and CI team leader,' concludes Mike.

2.0 Results
As we move into 1998, the projects are currently in their final stages and have
already brought a variety of specific and measurable benefits to the successful
operation of the platform - the most notable being the reduction of unplanned
shutdowns (see below).

Introduction of procedures
A series of standardization procedures have been introduced, including