Ownership. The principle is, if you are responsible or if it's your own you will look after it better, and uptime will improve. Don't pass the buck. Carry out "aircraft style" checklists at the start of the shift. Learn how to do simple maintenance tasks yourself. Keep inexpensive wearing components and lubrication to hand. Keep your own records.

Bottlenecks. The importance of bottlenecks is discussed elsewhere in this publication (in the Goldratt section). But bottlenecks are important for TPM also. First priority should be given to a 6 big losses analysis at bottlenecks, and to maintenance kaizen activities at bottlenecks. Keep especially good maintenance records at bottlenecks.

Failure Modes and Scheduled Maintenance. In classic Preventive Maintenance, a "bathtub" curve was often assumed (i.e. high failure rate early on, dropping to a low and continuing failure rate, then increasing at wearout). Routine maintenance is then scheduled just before the risk rate starts to increase. Today, we know that not all equipment has this pattern. Some may not have early high failure, some may not have sudden wearout, some may exhibit a continuous incline, etc. The point is you need to know the failure mode in order to undertake good scheduled maintenance practice. So, data needs to be recorded, the best way being automatically, for instance the number of strokes on a press for each die. And operators (who often have an inherent knowledge of failure modes) should be consulted. A maintenance cycle should be developed much like the cycle-counting concept, which visits important machines more frequently, allocates responsibility, and aims to improve not just maintain.

Condition Monitoring. Condition monitoring is a specialist function in TPM, but in some environments (for example heavy and rotating machinery) an important means to reduce cost. Methods include vibration detection, temperature monitoring, bearing monitoring, emission monitoring, and oil analysis. Today, there are hand-held, and computer linked, devices to assist.

Information Systems. Information systems were always an important part of PM, and remain so with TPM. However, their scope is extended from machines to include operator, safety and energy issues but also to allow for workplace data recording.

Design and Administration, and Benchmarking. Today, TPM is beginning to be seen in administrative and white-collar areas. Of course, there are computers, photocopiers, and fax machines but there also tidy (?) desks, filing cabinets, and refreshment rooms. Progressive companies are beginning to cater for TPM in product design. And, benchmarking, as usual, is useful.

Further Reading

Seiichi Nakajima (Ed), TPM Development Program, Productivity Press, Cambridge MA, 1989, ISBN 0-915299-37-2
Seiichi Nakajima, Introduction to TPM, Productivity Press, Cambridge MA, 1988, ISBN 0-915299-23-2
Peter Willmott, Total Productive Maintenance: The Western Way, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 1994, ISBN 0-7506-1925-2
John Moubray, Reliability Centred Maintenance, (Second edition), Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford
Nick Rich, a great new book forthcoming!