TPM

As you recall, these are the three factors that make up OEE, Overall Equipment Effectiveness. OEE is often used as a lagging indicator metric to gauge a TPM program.

TPM is a critical principle for Lean manufacturing. If machine uptime (availability) is not predictable and product can not flow smoothly and reliably then there will be inventory and buffers must be kept to protect the customer. Inventory is waste, it ties up cash, takes up space, and may have shelf life.

TPM has many other names such as Total Predictive Maintenance, Total Process Management, Total Preventive Maintenance, and others but they are all slightly unique and components of Total Productive Maintenance.

Preventing downtime and errors is important and there are many tools such as NVH monitoring, infrared image surveying, that can predict failures before they actually occur to keep machines "available" when they are needed.

A robust preventive maintenance program is also key to a TPM program. Tracking and executing according the PM manuals are inputs to preventing unplanned downtime and quality defects. Similar to regular oil changes and tire rotations on a vehicle.

It is beneficial that the users of the machines be involved in the TPM process. Maintenance departments should handle the major items but operators and regular users should have some say and responsibility to maintain a continuously improving OEE.

The TPM status should be visual. Visual Management is another component in Lean Manufacturing. Computers, graphic charts, statistics are not necessary either. Although they have a time and place, visual management can be done with hand written charts, dry erase boards, magnets, and cards (such as Kanban cards).

For example, hours on a machine can be hand written and the next due date, then it is easily visible the status of the PM for that machine.