When we are
selecting a piece of equipment for the implementation of the TPM effort, we should be
thinking of the most critical ones. It is not the machine in the worst shape. It
is not the machine we can give up without much trouble. It may be the most demanded and
work-loaded one.
TPM, as we said,
is not a refurbishing process. It is not an overhauling program either. Another myth
would be to think of a long downtime. TPM is about bringing the machine up to a
level where it will give us the highest productivity and reliability, and the easiest operability and
maintainability.
The first goal
of a TPM team is to define what the most important discrepancies or improvement
opportunities are, not only in the machine, but in the surrounding or related areas as
well.
In many cases a
TPM'd machine will be in better shape than a new one because it will probably be easier
and safer to operate under our very particular needs. This will be accomplished not just
in the initial scheduled effort, but in the weeks (some times a few months) to come after
the implementation was decided. Maybe during those weeks the team will be able to discover
and tag more discrepancies and they will of course be added to the schedule.
In
some cases the TPM effort will not stop the operation for more than one or two days
in the week of the implementation and a few hours after that, some cases may be scheduled for a second or third shift. That will be
determined by the production needs, because TPM is also about listening to each member of
the organization and understanding their concerns and needs. For minor equipment,
only a few hours total may be enough.
Actually,
listening to production people and organizing in accordance is the first priority of the
coordinator's job.
TPM
in America
