Page 76 - TPM A Route to World-Class Performance

The top-down and bottom-up realities of TPM 57

Joe and I have developed best practice routines for this OHP, divided into
three main areas:
0 The ‘apple a day’ routines which I do as a matter of habit, such as
cleaning and changing over the filter
0 The ‘thermometer’ or condition monitoring routines which Joe and I
share
0 The ’injection needle’ or planned maintenance which is still carried out
by Joe where a technical judgement is needed.
The simple act of me cleaning the filter once a week and changing it every
month means that we have extended the useful life of the bulb and the fan
because it’s not put under stress to drag the air in - and I get a ’hassle-free’
shift. Joe and I are not content, however, with extending the life of the
components - we are now looking for the source of the dust and dirt that gets
into the filter in the first place. Most of it is because we are not looking after
our general workplace areas. This is where the 5S/CAN DO activity has
come into its own.
The point is that we, not someone from on high, have decided the best
practice routines to operate and take care of our asset - the OHP. Also, we
have decided who actually carries out each asset care task, how we carry it
out, with what frequency and with what support tools and equipment.
It’s our ideas, it’s our disciplines that are important: we’ve got ownership
and we work as a team. We‘ve been given the time, the responsibility and the
necessary training and encouragement to take ownership, and we like it. It’s
given us back some self-esteem. It’s for maintenance to be productive, whoever
does it!
Finally, Joe and I had our photographs put up in the reception area in the
front office last month as recipients of the TPM team of the month award.
Silly, really, but Joe and I felt quite good about it. Even my wife says I’m
warm to the touch now!

3.11 The first line manager’s view of TPM
(with thanks to Graham Davies of WCS International for his insights as an
ex-Plant Manager and Supervisor)

The scenario
The principles of TPM and their adoption may be accepted by the upper
management of any company, but the area which can make or break any real
commitment to TPM is the first line management, usually called the Team
Leader, who is often an ex-shopfloor person. Attitudes and hence ’buy-in’ on
the shopfloor are dictated more by the Supervisor than the Plant Manager.
As far as an operator or maintainer is concerned, the only person they
relate to on a daily basis is their Supervisor. The majority of changes being
implemented by upper management do not make a great deal of difference to