Page 78 - TPM A Route to World-Class Performance

The top-down and bottom-up realities of TPM 59

I have just come on shift on this Monday morning and we have already
had a breakdown on the machine the TPM team are supposed to be working
on. They have scheduled me to shut this machine off for a further four hours
for them to do something called a Condition Appraisal. I have to hit my
production targets and if they seriously think I am shutting down when I am
already behind schedule, they have another think coming. Production comes
first - that is what I am here for.
They have carried out that work on one of the other shifts and that cost us
twelve hours’ production downtime. For what?? No one has had any feedback
as to what they’ve found, if they’ve found anything at all. They have put a
few more pretty pictures up on their communications board, but they still
have not achieved anything as far as I can see, although I must admit the
machine is looking a lot cleaner.
I cannot believe what is happening in this company. That team has now
had permission to shut down the machine for one week to carry out a
‘Refurbishment Plan’. The number of times I have tried to improve this machine
and I have not been allowed to because of ‘production demands’, is ridiculous,
and here we have a group of ’shopfloor workers’ being allowed to do so.
They are undermining the authority of the Shift Team Leaders, as far as I am
concerned.
That machine is now back in production and, apart from some initial
teething problems, is running well. We have maintained these machines on
many occasions in the past, and they run better for a while but then drift back
to the condition they were in before they were worked on. They then become
inconsistent and unreliable, and I can guarantee the same thing will happen
with this machine.

The recognition phase
I have just come back from two weeks’ holiday in Spain and am surprised to
see that the TPM machine is still running well. I have also noticed a change
in approach by the operators, who in some ways are now controlling the
machine and not the other way round. They have changed their working
routine and now carry out minor front line asset care tasks, which is all part
and parcel of keeping their machines in good condition. They call this their
Asset Care Routine. Conversations with these operators have changed, as
they now have a great deal more knowledge of the process than they had in
the past. The TPM process has now allowed the operators and maintainers to
take on ownership of problems and allows them time to problem solve. The
operators can now discuss more of the technical issues of the equipment, as
they have a far greater understanding of the equipment. They have also
become far more safety-conscious, as they now seem to understand how the
kit actually works!
The change in relationships between skilled and unskilled is dramatic,
and they are now discussing faults between themselves and coming up with
answers without having to involve myself at all. The fitters and electricians