Page 50 - TPM A Route to World-Class Performance

The top-down and bottom-up realities of TPM 31

Within these improvement zones, operators, maintainers and first line
managers apply TPM by addressing cleanliness and workplace organization -
eliminating dust, dirt and disarray. This is a positive step-cleaning is inspection,
which is discovering abnormalities, which allows us to restore or refurbish,
which gives a positive result, as well as a bright workplace, and ultimately
gives our workforce back some self-esteem and pride of ownership. This is
called the 5 Ss or CAN DO.
Progress through these levels should be directed by asking:
Why don’t we know the true consequences of failure (both obvious and
hidden)?
Why does this part of the process not work as it is meant to?
Why can’t we improve the reliability?
0 Why don’t we have the skills to set the optimal conditions for the process?
Why can’t we maintain and progressively improve our technology to
maintain those optimal conditions for longer?
The answer to all these questions is usually ‘We don’t know’ because the
shopfloor workforce have not been given the time, inclination and
encouragement to find the answers. TPM gives the necessary time and
motivation to do so. It also makes managers accountable for finding answers
to each of those questions (i.e. pillar champions).
In summary, TPM recognizes that to achieve a reliable and flawless operation
through continuous improvement, it is the people who make the difference.
By unlocking your full productive capacity, TPM unlocks the potential of
your workforce. You will need to invest around 5 per cent of your time to
implement TPM and support continuous improvement. Like all good
investments, this can be expected to provide a return on investment.
The nine-step TPM improvement plan is described in detail in later chapters
and is at the heart of the practical application of TPM. It is a no-nonsense, no
’rocket science’ practical application of common sense. The improvement
zone implementation process is the way that this common sense becomes
part of the routine. It takes time and tenacity, but the results are incredible.
Before moving into the necessary detail of the planning process and
measurement of TPM, it is worthwhile to give an overview of TPM and to
identify the key building blocks which will be explained in detail and illustrated
by case studies in later chapters.
Whilst visiting Japan on a TPM study tour in 1992, we vividly remember
being told by the Japanese Managing Director of a recognised world class
manufacturer that
‘. . . in the 50s and 60s we had ’M for Manufacturing. In the 70s
we had ’IM’ for Integrated Manufacturing. In the 80s we had
’CIM’ for Computer Integrated Manufacturing’. He paused for
a moment and then added ’. . .For the remainder of this decade
and 2000 and beyond, my company is going to be pursuing
’CHIM: Computer Human Integrated Manufacturing . . . We have
decided to re-introduce the human being into our workplace!’