I. Why Continuous Monitoring is Necessary 

     Some of the primary physical activities of TPM implementation involve the following:

1. General clean up of the work area.

2. Cleaning and repair of machinery.

3. Changes in the physical layout of a facility in order to improve workflow.

4. Development of autonomous maintenance activities that involve the machine operators in daily machine maintenance.

5. Development of an observation and reporting system that not only gathers production data, but establishes limits on certain parameters so that problems can be addressed before they become critical.

     Note that these items may and often must be addressed simultaneously.  

     The status of items 1 and 2 are obvious to even the most casual observer.  Either a facility is clean or it is not.  Equipment is clean and working properly or it is not. 

     Item 3, physically changing a facility to improve workflow, may take the longest of any of the items listed.  This may involve moving large equipment, purchasing new or additional material handling equipment, or modification of the facility through re-modeling or new construction.  A renovation or expansion master plan is usually created to address this need.

     Once the facility and the machines are cleaned and a master plan is in place for any needed facility changes, priority may be increased elative to items number 4 and 5. 

     Item 4, the development of an autonomous maintenance program is often one of the most difficult of the precepts of TPM to implement.  Operators have traditionally been told to just operate the equipment, and if it breaks down or needs adjusting, notify the maintenance department.  Under TPM, the concept of autonomous maintenance is applied in that operators take an active roll in the maintenance and adjustment of the equipment they operate.

     Item 5, the development of an observation and reporting system, usually involves all production personnel as well as maintenance and facility managers.  This is where close attention to the means and methods of data collection becomes one of the major attributes associated with successful TPM implementation.

     1        Developing checklists for autonomous maintenance      

Probably the most widely used management tool associated with autonomous maintenance implementation is the checklist.  Of course, some equipment manufacturers supply maintenance checklists with their machines, but comprehensive checklists can be readily developed in-house for use by machine operators.  The timing, frequency, and level of detail of the checklists may be modified to fit local conditions. 

     The checklists may include instructions as to what the operator is to do if certain items are found to be outside the limits or tolerances expressed in the checklists.  These instructions may require the operator to simply log the problem.  In severe cases, the checklist may require that the operator immediately shut down the equipment and notify someone in upper management.

2        Developing checklists for production and facilities 

     In the case of production operations, checklists may be developed that set parameters for all observable activities within the facility such as proper product handling, testing, and shipment.   Checklists may be developed that prompt plant personnel to check for tolerances, weights, counts, time from initiation of production to shipment, etc.  Even machine down time, a critical measurement in TPM implementation, can be reported via the checklist method.

     Facility managers must be aware of the condition of the facility support systems such as ventilation, cooling water for equipment, building structural integrity, and the general environment both within the plant and on the surrounding property.  Checklists can be developed that require someone check certain items on a scheduled basis and report their findings to facility supervisors for action.

3        Potential failure of the checklist system 

     The development and use of checklists is certainly a necessary data gathering activity when implementing TPM, but how do we know if the checklists are being used  properly if they are used at all?

     Human nature being what it is, repetitive tasks can be seen as monotonous and unimportant to many.  Workers ask why they have to do the same thing over and over the same way day after day.  Workers may get complacent or they may get in a hurry and dismiss routine checklists as unimportant or unnecessary.

     Of course, management knows that historical data cannot be relied upon if it is not gathered in a timely and repetitive manner with the all variables under tight control.  Often the only way that data gathering activities are policed is by overt observation or spot checks.  Either method may be construed by the work force as management being distrustful of labor.

     Some analysts and engineers believe the only answer is to automate the entire monitoring and data collection process.  They advocate placing monitors, counters, samplers, scales, etc. at all data collection points with the electronically collected data routed into a central computer for analysis.

     But, not all conditions can be monitored with automated systems.  Sooner or later, a knowledgeable human must be incorporated into the process of information acquisition and evaluation.

4        Condition management vs. condition awareness 

     In today’s competitive environment, the need to not only be aware of conditions but to effectively manage them is paramount.

     Condition management has two key aspects:

A.      Management must be assured that front-line personnel are actually monitoring the condition in question. Monitoring here means that someone must focus attention on a system or situation, and then bring its condition into conscious awareness.  As mentioned previously, this is easier said than done. The frequently repetitive nature of condition monitoring often leads to routine responses rather than critical analysis. 

B.      Information must be moved from the point of acquisition to the point of decision.  The organization does not benefit when field or plant floor personnel are the only ones who know of a system’s condition... even when that condition is optimal. The observed fact that “all is well” does not eliminate management’s need to record the observation for historical and analytical purposes. In short, monitoring data must be transferred to decision-markers on a routine basis, regardless of content. 

     Of course, if the report indicates a sub-optimal situation, that information needs to be distributed ASAP to other members of the team who can make decisions and take corrective action.

5        Advantages of a web-based checklist system 

     XTrax allows the subscriber to set up checklists that are accessible through a dedicated web page.  The number of personnel and the level of management personnel who have access to the checklists can be controlled.  

     Because it is a web-based system, no software has to be purchased and installed on local computers for XTrax to function. If the user is at a fixed location, a browser and an Internet connection are the only requirements. (Alternatively, field personnel can interact with XTrax through hand-held computers, such as Palm or Windows PDAs.)

6        Implementing XTrax monitoring 

     Mapping out a process is the first order of business for the new user of XTrax. The implementation team starts by describing a flow of accountability:

• Who monitors what conditions?

• How do those persons become aware of sub-optimal situations?

• When and how is that information communicated to the team?

• When do team leaders become aware of an undesirable condition, and what do the decision makers do once they learn about it? 

     Once these elements have been identified, XTrax can be configured to facilitate condition monitoring, the documentation of incoming reports, and the automatic alerting of decision-makers.

     XTrax works by probing the experience of persons who are in direct contact with the conditions to be monitored. These probes or mini-surveys most typically contain mutually exclusive statements. 

Here’s an example of an observation probes concerning the condition of a critical valve: 

“As of 10 AM,

• The valve was open.
• The valve was closed
• I could not assess the valve's status

(signed) James Smith" 

     In essence, XTrax supplies several statements and then asks the user to select one that he or she can personally endorse. (If the user interacts with XTrax through a hand-held computer, such as a Palm or Windows PDA, he or she is literally required to sign his or her name before submitting the endorsed statements back to a central server.)

     In the example cited above, James Smith would have three alternative responses: He could tell the truth, lie, or not send in his report at all. No matter what he does, XTrax will document his behavior and choices, including the possibility of his report not arriving when expected. A missing report is noted by the creation of a “Missing Document Placeholder”, which is automatically deleted should the expected report arrive after the due date and time.  (The late-arriving report itself would stamped as “Late.”) If a deadline is missed, XTrax can be programmed to notify the appropriate manager by one or more electronic means.

     Once the survey has been submitted, a server scans the completed document, in search of key characters that would signal a problematic situation in the field. Depending on the indicated severity of the situation and the recorded preferences of relevant managers, XTrax would then send out e-mail messages and/or pages to alert those managers responsible for the operational status of their monitored facility.

7        Advances in XTrax technology 

Several specific advances in associated technology will soon expand the capabilities of XTrax.  These are:

• The introduction of wireless internet communications

• The integration of hand-held computers, barcode scanning, and critical task management

• Improved portability of XTrax data into other computer applications, such as spreadsheets and other databases. 

     Early in its development XTrax required that PDA users make their observations in the field, and then transfer data back to the server at a later time.  This two-step process will be reduced to a single step in wireless environments, where information will be sent back to the server as soon as it is entered into the PDA.

     Developers are working on the integration of XTrax with iButtons from Dallas Semiconductor. The iButton is a computer chip enclosed in a 16mm stainless steel can. Because of this unique and durable stainless steel can, up-to-date information can travel with a person or object anywhere they go. The inexpensive steel button can be mounted virtually anywhere because it is rugged enough to withstand harsh environments, indoors or outdoors.

     An XTrax field user will be able to touch an iButton with his PDA, and thereby provide proof-positive that he was at a defined location at a specific point in time.

      XTrax collected data can already be saved as XML files. Today, this format allows Excel users to analyze transcripts from condition monitoring field personnel. In the near future, these inter-application files will let developers pull XTrax data into other systems such as SAP or various CMMS products. This is especially desirable when managers need to evaluate condition data for further analysis.  This process also lends itself to calculating the OEE values that are critical to implementing and sustaining a TPM program.  When combined with the wireless real time technology, changing OEE values can be observed almost instantly.