| An introduction to TPM explained with a simple | | | | Today we easily identify the roots of this |
| example | | | | mentality in the so called 1st Industrial Revolution, |
| | | | initiated by Adam Smith over two centuries ago |
| Just consider this little story. Coming back home | | | | with his principles of fragmentation of work and |
| from honeymoon, life suddenly lands into reality, | | | | labour separation. |
| for husband and wife. And reality consists of a | | | | According to Smith's principles, work is much |
| number of small and big things to do, like | | | | more efficient when fragmented into simple |
| connecting and putting into operation the new | | | | elementary tasks to be performed by separate |
| washing machine and dishwasher, and the stove, | | | | workers, each attending to a "piece" of the overall |
| and the microwave oven, and the fridge, and the | | | | work, in which he can become "specialised". |
| vacuum-cleaner, and the food processor..... and this | | | | Those principles have constructed industry as we |
| requires reading the instruction manual, checking | | | | know it: with functions, departments, separation |
| water and electricity connections, understanding | | | | of tasks, duties, roles and responsibilities. Those |
| the operation procedures, and, eventually putting | | | | principles have been applied very successfully also |
| each appliance into operation. And whose task is | | | | to the two industrial functions under consideration, |
| it? Obviously husband's task, because "he is | | | | i.e. the productive and maintenance functions, |
| technically minded", as wife states very clearly. | | | | which have been structured accordingly, and |
| And so husband becomes all of a sudden a | | | | perfected over the years as two well distinct |
| technician, an electrician, a plumber, and a | | | | entities. Reflections of these principles are at the |
| domestic appliance technologist: he reads trough 4 | | | | basis of separation of duties between husband |
| pounds of instruction manuals, gets organised with | | | | and wife, like in our little story, and can be found |
| tools, does the job, and finally, once he has | | | | in any human, organised activity still today: |
| become a specialist in the field, he does a simple | | | | weather commercial (like in a hair stylist saloon), |
| training course to wife on how to operate each | | | | social (like in a Country Club), or in the public |
| machine and each appliance, on safety and other | | | | sector (like in a Post Office or Government |
| precautions to be observed, on little tricks and | | | | Department). |
| hints she must remember to make things work | | | | These principles, well adequate for long time, and |
| properly, and on basic maintenance rules. On this | | | | positive catalysts of the industrial revolution which |
| very last point he finds a lot of resistance - wife | | | | we still see in our world, seem, however, no |
| is prepared to adhere to basic operating and | | | | longer adequate for competing and succeeding in |
| safety procedures, but not very keen on carrying | | | | a fast changing world, well more complex than at |
| out certain maintenance tasks...... Husband, very | | | | those times in which industry was being born. |
| patient, and still in glorious love with wife, decides | | | | While many human activities and many industries |
| to compromise on this specific point, assigning to | | | | will be organised, for years to come, still according |
| wife only some basic cleaning tasks, while he will | | | | to Smith's principles of work fragmentation and |
| take care of checking and cleaning regularly the | | | | specialised tasks, many other are already changing |
| washing machine filter, of replacing vacuum | | | | and moving into the so called 2nd Industrial |
| cleaner's bag when needed, of regular checking of | | | | Revolution: several Manufacturing Industries (the |
| fridge's evaporator, etc. | | | | so called "World Class Manufacturers"), like many |
| But this is not all: there are dozens of wall pictures | | | | World Class Performers in the Service Sector |
| to be hung - light fittings and bedside lamps to be | | | | (Banks, Insurance Companies, Hotels and |
| connected - curtains to be fitted - shower to be | | | | Restaurants Chains, Software Developers, to |
| adjusted - bathroom mirror to be fitted with bulbs | | | | mention just a few), are moving away from |
| - TV set and Video Recorder to be connected | | | | Smith's principles, and now recompose their |
| and programmed - honeymoon slides to be | | | | previously fragmented productive processes |
| projected with the new slides projector (also to | | | | assigning to multi-skilled personnel works featuring |
| be put into operation) - and grandmother "holy" | | | | multi-tasks and multi-functions. New challenges and |
| armchair to be moved to its final position in the | | | | new, comprehensive responsibilities are assigned |
| lounge, just to mention a few other tasks for | | | | to people, who now perform comprehensive |
| poor husband, who must literally split himself in | | | | chunks of work in team, having as primary |
| two in order to cope with this considerable | | | | objective not the task to be performed, but the |
| workload, which adds to his professional work and | | | | result. World is changing again, so, and in opposite |
| keeps him busy evening after evening.... | | | | direction to Smith's ideas. |
| You may easily imagine the conclusion: in a matter | | | | Something of this nature is taking place, within |
| of weeks, if not days, husband is silently | | | | World Class Industries, also in their productive and |
| appointed "house engineer and technician" and | | | | maintenance functions. The separation between |
| "house maintenance handyman", while wife has | | | | the two functions, so sharp for many decades, |
| implicitly and explicitly self-appointed herself "chief | | | | now is being re-sewed. The old approach "....I |
| domestic operator and principal chef-de-cuisine"........... | | | | operate, you maintain and repair....." is being shifted |
| As years go by, the two roles consolidate and | | | | into a new, comprehensive approach: "We are all |
| become institutionalised. The approach "....I operate, | | | | responsible for our equipment and for the value it |
| you repair...." or ".....I use, you maintain...." gets | | | | generates". |
| stronger and stronger. Wife is always primarily | | | | This implies, firstly, a very new vision of the two |
| involved with direct and indirect domestic | | | | functions production and maintenance. They are |
| "operations": cooking, cleaning, ironing, etc., which | | | | now seen as integrated, interconnected, re-united |
| she does herself, or by co-ordinating and | | | | by the common goal. Personnel from the |
| supervising her maid. Husband, who has in the | | | | productive department now have much wider, |
| meantime created a little workshop in the garage, | | | | multi-skill tasks: they not only operate machines, |
| equipped with all essential tools and well stocked | | | | but also attend to several basic maintenance |
| with necessary spares and consumable materials | | | | duties, like cleaning, lubricating and bolting, |
| (bulbs, fuses, tape, nails and screws, paints, etc.), | | | | previously assigned to maintenance personnel. |
| is primarily involved with all basic maintenance | | | | Properly trained, and by attending to these |
| activities (replacing bulbs, cleaning and checking, | | | | maintenance tasks, machine operators become |
| replacing gaskets to leaking water taps, painting, | | | | more acquainted with their machines. They know |
| lubricating squeaky hinges..... and fixing, repairing, | | | | more about them, they understand better their |
| restoring, modifying, overhauling, tuning-up......). | | | | principles of operation, and, most of all, they |
| From time to time (but less and less frequently), | | | | become like "human sensors" capable of detecting |
| however, they still look at their honeymoon slides, | | | | even fine signals of abnormalities in their machines, |
| and think back to that glorious time..... | | | | thus contributing to preventing their deterioration |
| Amazing, isn't it? But very common, all over the | | | | by reporting well timely on their status. |
| world. Most definitely, housewives capable of (and | | | | Besides, being knowledgeable about their |
| willing to) handling screwdriver and hammer, | | | | machines, operators may contribute substantially |
| besides cooking spoon and sewing needle, are a | | | | to the solution of many productivity and quality |
| minor percentage. Where does this phenomenon | | | | problems originated by machines, and even to |
| originate from? Where are the roots of this very | | | | simple modifications to machines to upgrade their |
| diffused mentality? | | | | performance. |
| When we consider that a similar, but much more | | | | On the other hand, maintenance personnel, have |
| serious phenomenon is happening from decades in | | | | now the primary role of making machine |
| industry, we can easily trace a common | | | | operators acquainted with machines by training |
| denominator. In industry, the separation of roles | | | | them, and the essential role of co-operating |
| between "Operations" and "Engineering | | | | close-by with the production personnel for |
| Maintenance" is an institutionalised feature from | | | | enhancing the effectiveness of traditional |
| many decades. With very few exceptions, all | | | | maintenance activities and new ones as well (like |
| over the world industry is normally structured | | | | Predictive Maintenance, Maintainability |
| with a well distinct identification of two functions: | | | | Improvement, and Maintenance Prevention). |
| the productive function (Operations), and the | | | | The overall result is well described by the name |
| service, back-up technical function (Engineering and | | | | of the discipline which takes care of the 2nd |
| Maintenance). The scopes, the roles, the duties, | | | | Industrial Revolution applied to Plant Management |
| the tasks and the responsibilities of the two | | | | and Maintenance: the name is Total Productive |
| functions are normally very well codified: the | | | | Maintenance (or TPM, in short) - where the |
| productive function takes care of producing | | | | adjective Total signifies the two concepts of |
| products or services (manufactured goods, like in | | | | Overall Responsibility for Plant and Machines and |
| the manufacturing industry - objects of a project, | | | | Overall Effectiveness of Plant and Machines: the |
| like in the Construction or Project Industry - a | | | | first achieved through intensive and new-deal |
| service, like in Banks, or Insurance Companies, or | | | | co-operation between the two functions, |
| Hospitals) - the back-up technical function takes | | | | production and maintenance; and the second |
| care of making available, installing, keeping in good | | | | achieved through the joint efforts of the two |
| running order, and generally attending to the plant, | | | | functions. |
| the machines, the equipment, the installed | | | | TPM is concerned with very high levels of |
| services, etc. necessary to the productive | | | | performance of Plant, Machines, Equipment and, |
| function to perform its tasks. Plant include | | | | generally speaking, Technology - TPM is |
| productive machines, fixed installations like | | | | concerned with very high levels of safety related |
| electrical or air conditioning systems, or computer | | | | to Plant - TPM is concerned with new levels of |
| equipment. | | | | performance of "People next to Machine", by |
| The objectives of personnel belonging to the two | | | | assigning them new, wider and challenging tasks, |
| functions are complementary but well distinct: | | | | roles and responsibilities, but also granting them |
| productive personnel have the primary objective | | | | higher possibilities of job satisfaction. |
| of producing products and or services - technical | | | | Like to say that, according to TPM principles, our |
| and maintenance personnel have the primary | | | | housewife should be closer to her machines, more |
| objective of assuring the availability of plant and | | | | knowledgeable about them, capable not only of |
| equipment to be utilised by productive personnel. | | | | operating them, but also of attending to various |
| This separation of roles has also originated and | | | | maintenance tasks, and capable as well of |
| consolidated over many years a negative | | | | detecting early signals of deterioration and wear, |
| mentality, which can be summarised with the well | | | | in time, before the matter becomes too serious...... |
| diffused approach: "....I operate equipment, you | | | | and capable as well (and proud of) lubricating |
| maintain and repair it.....", with consequences often | | | | squeaky hinges and fixing leaking taps. |
| catastrophic in industry: lack or absence of | | | | Dream or reality? The Total Productive |
| responsibilities, shifting of responsibilities (...passing | | | | Maintenance discipline is expanding very rapidly, |
| the buck.....), abuse and misuse of equipment and | | | | world-wide. Will also housewives be affected by |
| machinery, and, generally speaking, inefficiencies at | | | | it? |
| various levels and of various entities. | | | | |