Page 80 - TPM A Route to World-Class Performance

The top-down and bottom-up realities of TPM 61

tried and if we can make it work across the five shifts, then we really have
taken a massive step forward. At the moment, I feel that we are not going to
move any further forward with this as there are a lot of people not wanting
to change in this company. Luckily, I have never been that way inclined, or
have I? The initial audits were set out with dates against when they were to
be carried out. However, although we cleaned up the day before the audit,
what we found was that the time taken to get the areas back to that standard
was reduced dramatically. We have since changed to a system of auditing
randomly, which means the department has to be kept at this level at all
times.

Two years later - looking back
When I look back over the last two years and see the changes which have
taken place within our organization, it has made a tremendous difference to
the way I now do my job. During the initial introduction with the consultants
supporting it, they stressed that it was not a quick-fix solution but a drip-feed
change of attitudes and approach to problem solving. People like myself
have changed our approach without actually realizing what was happening
and, as I look at the upper management, the people who I felt would be the
stumbling blocks when we started are no longer in the same positions as they
were twelve months ago.
The main advantage I have found is that the TPM process is not just a
machine-related system but becomes an all-encompassing approach. It looks
at the door-to-door OEE, not just at an individual machine, but also at the
value chain through the whole organization and involves everyone, from
planning to finance to forklift truck driver.
The change in my role has allowed me to stand back, look at the bigger
issues within our department, and not just be an ostrich/head in the sand
type of Team Leader. The money we invested with consultants in the early
days of TPM, with which I totally disagreed, has been paid back over and
over. The problem we had, once we had an understanding of the process,
was that TPM is not rocket science, it is an obsession with attention to detail,
and we felt that we could do it all ourselves. You very quickly realize that
you need someone to keep you on the right track, otherwise you get involved
in side issues and forget what it is you are actually trying to achieve.
It is a complete change in culture and, carried out properly, it can be the
best thing since sliced bread but, as the saying goes, 'You have to break a few
eggs to make an omelette!'.