TPM at Gardner - Home | Association for Manufacturing ...TPM) implementation (including the step-by-step implementation process) and related results at a Gardner Bender facility. Thanks

TPM at Gardner Bender:Making Your InternalCustomers Successful,Improving ExternalCustomer ServiceTotal Productive Maintenance also helps to reduce unexpected breakdowns, reduce cost.

Ugo Okoro

Several years ago, senior manage-ment at Gardner Bender (GB),1 nearMilwaukee, WI recognized that we

spent more money on maintenance andequipment than we could sustain over time,if we were going to meet our long-term

goals for global competitiveness. Using akaizen approach with a project team, webegan looking at how much was spent onrepairs and maintenance, and also targetedmachine utilization issues. We launched aTotal Productive Maintenance (TPM — seethe box, "About TPM and RCM") approach,with one key metric (supported by othermetrics): OEE (overall equipment effective-ness).

"Even though GB had embarked on alean implementation program, TPM wasnot a focus of that initiative," according toJeff Baldwin, the global operations leaderfor the Tools and Supplies division ofActuant Corporation, GB's parent firm. "Webegan a long-term strategy of TPM imple-mentation and CMMS implementationfocusing on the Glendale (WI) manufactur-ing operation in1999. We saw the need forthis focus for several reasons: 1) There wasno capacity planning being done in manu-

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Target Volume 20, Number 3

In BriefAuthor Ugo Okoro describes the Total Productive Maintenance(TPM) implementation (including the step-by-step implementationprocess) and related results at a Gardner Bender facility. Thanks tothis TPM process, the company reports benefits in OEE (overallequipment effectiveness) resulting in better internal and external cus-tomer service, cost savings, better deployment of capital, improvedmorale, and other benefits.

facturing; 2) our manufacturing is a capital-intensive business — productivity improve-ment is directly linked to equipment per-formance; and 3) no measurements werebeing made about equipment effectivenessor utilization."

"Our Gardner Bender business unitsells to both professional electriciansthrough distributors and to the do-it your-self market through major retailers likeLowe's and Home Depot, so the ability toship product on time is crucial to satisfyingcustomers," said Ralph Keller, ActuantCorporation's vice president of operations."Their production equipment must be avail-able when needed in their lean manufac-turing environment to meet this objective,and that was not the case before the TPMimplementation. They have been able toreduce their finished goods inventory sub-stantially since the TPM process insures theability to produce product when needed,helping our corporation to meet goals ofdebt reduction and effective deployment ofcapital."

Documenting BaselinePerformance

Our TPM project team (production,maintenance, and senior managementmembers, approximately 12 people) firstgathered baseline data to help us under-stand our current performance and chal-lenges. We focused on: 1) limited PM (pre-ventive maintenance) practices deployed,resulting in machine breakdowns and lim-ited knowledge about how to serve ourinternal customers more effectively; 2)underutilization — we had more machinesthan we needed; and 3) the lack of involve-ment of process owners (machine opera-tors) in the care of their machines.

Our project team targeted theseobjectives:

• Restore production machines to originalproduction performance capabilities

• Improve data collection; clean up ques-tionable or unreliable data

• Develop a roadmap to guide us along the improvement path.

Action Plan

We focused on improvements, withOEE at the top of our list, in three areas ofour manufacturing operations: parts manu-facturing (spring coiling, molding), assem-bly, and packaging. Our project team devel-oped a phased approach (see Figure 1). Sixmonths after our initial assessment, train-ing, and organizational issues wereaddressed in Phase 1, we moved to TPMlaunch, a TPM pilot, and other activities inPhase 2. Then we began Phase 3 (CMMS, orcomputerized maintenance managementsystem), maintenance effectiveness plan-ning, gap analysis, etc.), which took 15-18months. In Phase 4, we launched EnterpriseCMMS, MTBF (mean time between fail-ures), MTTR (mean time to repair), andRCM (reliability-centered maintenance)activities.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking visits to nearby Harley-Davidson, GE Medical, and Briggs facilitiesyielded information about the "mechanics"of TPM processes. Our benchmarking"team" (people who have guiding or keyroles in our TPM efforts such as mainte-nance, production, scheduling, and coreTPM team members) talked with associatesat the benchmarking host sites about how

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About TPM and RCM

TPM is the process of continuously improving the effectivenessof production equipment through the involvement of all peoplein the enterprise:

•Keeping the equipment running-When it should-At the specified rate-With the highest quality and yield

•Keeping the equipment clean

•People working together for optimal results.

Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) is the next stepin the evolution of good maintenance practices. It entailsapplying the same TPM principles to subsystems and compo-nents to insure long-term, predictable performance throughminimizing the probabilities of failure.

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Target Volume 20, Number 3

Figure 1. Phases of TPM implementation.

the TPM efforts were led, and how theseactivities were perceived by affectedemployees. We also looked at some of theirmetrics — how they collected and useddata as well as how they posted visualinformation on machines, etc.

Another area targeted in our bench-marking was how to justify the cost of aTPM program — how do you pay for imple-menting and sustaining it? We found usefulinformation about gathering data on thecost of repairs when machines are down,for example. Those figures calculated fordowntime include more than the actualrepairs; manufacturing resources may bediverted to other areas when equipment isnot available, with related productivitylosses, or overtime costs may rise as aresult of equipment failures.

We learned to be focused specificallyon our key metric, overall equipment effec-tiveness (OEE), during our benchmarkingactivities. If you allow yourself to be dis-tracted by ideas for production control andother improvements, you will dilute yourproject effectiveness. At the same time, wealso learned to be more open-mindedabout gaining new ideas for planning,implementing, and sustaining an effectiveTPM program. When you get back to yourown operation, then you can evaluate theseideas and look for those you can use ormodify.

Culture Change and Training

Gardner Bender's emphasis on leanoperations and continuous improvementshelped us to gain acceptance for TPM. Weassume that everyone comes with theintent to be successful on the job in anenvironment of trust, so the company issuccessful in turn. We can give peopletools, such as TPM training, but it is impor-tant for associates to know for themselveshow it can work and what's in it for them.What we encourage is understanding thatwe all have a role to play in OEE.

TPM is a broad-based approach toworld-class manufacturing. Getting ourTPM training off the ground required a shiftfrom previous maintenance department

ownership for machine OEE to a multi-functional approach. We needed a sharedunderstanding that TPM encompassesquality, machine availability, and perform-ance issues.

We found it useful to segment someelements of our TPM training, and to offercombined training sessions for other TPMbasics. Various training segments are pro-vided for maintenance technicians, opera-tors, and engineers, for example. Kaizenprojects as part of our training programprovided valuable "real world" learning.Results — improvements in machine avail-ability, etc. — were incorporated in ourtraining sessions as projects were complet-ed. Through this training, we gained broadsupport for our TPM initiative. People werenot afraid of the program.

This shared accountability — servingthe next person in line as well as externalcustomers — is more readily acceptedwhen there is an environment character-ized by teamwork and trust. GardnerBender's lean manufacturing efforts, start-ed years earlier, have helped to create a cli-mate where change is accepted andencouraged. Actually putting that customerservice into practice — and improving ourOEE — requires training in TPM conceptsas well as practice on a day-to-day basis.

TPM concepts need to be revisited ona continuing basis. In addition to training,there are various ways to communicate.For example, as teams come together to doa TPM event, allocate time for training withspecific reminders about TPM principles(Figure 2). Posting data on machines aboutcondition and performance also involvesprocess owners in the care of the machinesthey operate.

Putting TPM to Work

Our Sencorp Blister improvementproject provides an example of TPM-relatedperformance improvements. Associatestargeted reduced downtime, improvedavailability, improved run rate, and reducedscrap in this project. They worked againstour assembly machine TPM task checklist,starting with machine and work area

39Third Issue 2004

observations and continuing through prob-lem-solving as needed, updating operatorwork instructions, etc. (see Figure 3.)

Blister machine TPM event results weredramatic. Machine availability, machine OEE,and other performance indicator improve-ments are shown in Figure 4. Althoughprogress in machine OEE average and otherindicators was significant, operators will con-tinue to monitor machine performance andlook for additional improvements.

How We're Doing

We now schedule maintenance andgather related data in the three targetedareas within our facility (parts manufactur-ing, assembly, and packaging). We haveconsistently measured OEE performance inthose three areas as well as specific areaswithin each one. Whenever OEE perform-ance slips in a particular area, we schedulea TPM event — troubleshooting, processmapping and 5S (sort — get rid of unneed-ed items; simplify — organize what's left;scrub — clean; standardize — developneeded procedures; and sustain — makethese changes a way of life; and we addeda sixth element — safety), then selectingand implementing solutions.

As we have learned to restoremachines to their targeted performancelevels, and improved OEE, we have alsoreduced the number of machines needed tomeet customer demand. This decrease inspace requirements enabled us to consoli-date production into one building in theMilwaukee facility (compared to the previ-ous two plants). Over time, this approachhas not only helped us to improve customersatisfaction, but also to reduce our cost ofcapital and improve corporate profitability.

Our TPM current state encompasses:• Policy deployment — documented pre-

ventive maintenance (PM) procedures and autonomous maintenance AM)/PMinstructions

• Performance measurement — OEE tracking implemented for all machines

• TPM training — all operations employeestrained in TPM and participated in events

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TPM Pre-event Check List

1. Equipment history documentation

• Develop Pareto of equipment history

• Drawings, specs, and any other available documentation

2. Develop detail of OEE data package

• OEE

• Utilization

• Breakdown

• Setup frequency and times

3. Develop preliminary AM & PM procedures

4. Develop rough draft of setup procedures

5. Develop production/quality

• Product demand profile

• First pass yield

• Defects rates

• Scrap units & dollars & scrap Pareto

6. Take “before” pictures

7. Develop actual vs. Oracle system standard rates analysis

8. Set goals and objectives for event9. Set up logistics for event, (such as reserve conf room, order

lunches, soda, coffee, etc.)

10.Materials needed:

• Flipcharts

• Markers

• Tape measures

• Note pads

• Post-it notes

• Pencils

• Clip boards

• Stop watches

• Digital camera

• Overhead projector

• Floor tapes

• Cleaning supplies (rags, paper towels, degreaser, etc.).

Figure 2.

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Figure 3.

• PM task development — 98 percent ofproduction machines completed

• AM task development — 95 percent of allproduction machines completed (visual inspection, verify settings, cleaning, etc.tasks)

• CMMS installation — completed user training and ongoing configuration (work orders, labor tracking, equipmenthistory and costs, etc.)

• Monthly status report — all TPM event results, OEE performance in the three process areas (and plant-wide), and a summary of the next month's focus

• Kaizen events — scheduling based onanalysis of metrics (OEE drops) and criticalproduction needs

• Gap analysis — assess current implemen-tation status against the designed roadmap and against world-class companies.

TPM Activities, Results

Our goal is two TPM events a month,or 24 annually. In fiscal year 2001, forexample, 39 events were completed (KraftAutomation Line, auto bagger machines,Sencorp Blister, all assembly and springcoiling, cooling tower). We completed 17and 19 TPM events in 2002 and 2003,respectively. Thanks to these projects,automated assembly machines run ratesimproved an average of 30 percent; associ-ates also removed four spring coilers, one

press, and three assembly machines fromproduction without sacrificing capacity.

These projects also enabled manufac-turing consolidation. Fishing and bendingoperations were moved from one buildingto another, resulting in a savings of approx-imately 1.2 percent of our total operationsbudget for fiscal 2000 and reducing spacerequirements by 35,000 sq. ft.

Automated production data collectionis also among added improvements. Inturn, OEE accuracy improved and wegained timely feedback to production andsupport personnel.

We now average 23 PMs a month. Ourproduction machine availability and per-formance rose 15 percent over a year's timeas a result of these PMs. Additional per-formance improvements are shown inFigure 5.

Lessons Learned

Our TPM improvements continue.Among the lessons we have learned duringthe past few years are:

• A team approach, reinforced by an OEEmetric, is needed for TPM success; this team effort is needed to execute and sustain TPM, with continuing efforts to encourage participation by operators and support personnel such as mainte-nance technicians

• Performance, availability, and quality variables all must be considered in a

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Blister Machine TPM Event Results

Before After % Improvement

Machine availability average 72% 81% 13%Machine performance average 78% 116% 49%Machine quality average 99% 98% -1%Machine OEE average 56% 92% 64%

Figure 4.

balanced approach; you cannot do well in one area and neglect the other two

• A data-driven process is required for effective decision-making; develop baseline performance data — OEE, costsfor maintenance as well as overtime, productivity, and other costs related to equipment availability issues, and use process and machine data as a guide along the journey

• Do not assume that everyone in the organization understands what TPM is about and how it can benefit internal aswell as external customer service; ongo-ing communication and training are needed

• TPM requires top management support and direct supervision commitment for implementation and sustained improve-ments

• Customer service involves everyone in our operation; we all participate in serv-ing our internal and external customers

• Our TPM improvements will not end; wecontinue to seek better ways to serve our customers. Effective execution of TPM programs must be accompanied byefforts to sustain performance excellenceover time. Continually train and empha-size the TPM philosophy. If properly applied and implemented, TPM supportsjust-in-time (JIT) and other elements of world-class performance.

What's Next

We continue to restore targeted equip-ment to their original condition in our TPMprojects. We are also working towardrefinement of the maintenance system:precision PM practices to ensure that main-tenance technicians are doing thoroughand effective work, and renewed supportfor autonomous maintenance (both man-agement and production).

Gap analysis is another focus.Comparing current performance versusworld-class companies will provide moreideas for improvement. As part of ourbenchmarking activities, we have learnedthat OEE at 85 percent is considered world-class. Our goal is to sustain this OEE level,

43Third Issue 2004

Figure 5.

putting systems in place to ensure this levelof performance over a long period of time.We will continue to strive for even betterperformance.

One of our lessons learned throughour team efforts is that our TPM perform-ance improves through the use of a set ofquestions we developed for gap analysis(Figure 6). Every year, we go through andanswer those questions, and score theanswers. Depending on our scores, we lookat areas where we didn't do as well as weshould have, and then work on those fornext year.

OEE improvement actions include tar-gets such as: packaging — focus on break-down time reduction; automated assembly— minimizing jams; molding/spring coiling— minimizing process variability; andencouraging operators to look for earlywarning signals of potential problemsaffecting OEE. One-piece flow in connectorproduction and CMMS enterprise imple-mentation are on the drawing board aswell, with TPM components.

"After our positive results from TPMkaizen events at the Glendale facility, wehave started implementing TPM at ourother manufacturing facilities following thesame roadmap," said Jeff Baldwin. "EachGB manufacturing facility is now in the finalphase IV of the TPM plan, having achievedrelated dramatic productivity improve-ments. This process has allowed us toremain competitive in a very difficult globalenvironment."

Added Tony Webster, GB plant manag-er at Glendale, "The benefits of TPM mani-fest themselves in several different ways.Primary benefits are seen as OEE improve-ments. Manufacturing equipment will suf-fer fewer breakdowns of lesser severity,maintaining higher performance levelsover time. Less unplanned downtime andsustained product throughput levels aremaintained, resulting in product availabilityand satisfied customers.

"Financial benefits accrue from TPMas well," Webster continued. "Since amature TPM program is predictive andbased on equipment usage, lower level(and less expensive) maintenance activities

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Figure 6. Gap analysis questions.

45Third Issue 2004

are performed, reducing the opportunity forcatastrophic failure. A normal cost benefitexpectation is a 10-15 percent reduction inoverall maintenance costs every year!"

Webster also noted TPM's intangiblebenefits. "Although they are more difficult tomeasure, benefits in morale can be attributedto TPM as well," he said. "Of course, mainte-nance personnel appreciate increased equip-ment reliability and fewer trouble calls — butdon't forget the machine operator whoworks with the equipment day in and dayout. All in all, implementing TPM within yourorganization can certainly help on severalfronts — and I highly recommend it."

Ugo Okoro is the kaizen leader for GardnerBender's facility in Glendale, WI. He has abachelor's degree in engineering and a mas-ter's degree in engineering with a manufac-turing focus from Milwaukee School ofEngineering.

Footnote:1. Gardner Bender (GB) is a division of ActuantCorporation, headquartered in Milwaukee, WI.Gardner Bender is an industry-leading manufacturerof professional electrician's tools and supplies.

References: A brief list of additional TPM resources includes:

Focused Equipment Improvement, Japan Institute ofPlant Maintenance

Total Productive Maintenance, Tel-A-Train, Inc.

TPM for Every Operator, Japan Institute of PlantMaintenance

TPM for Supervisors, The Productivity PressDevelopment Team

TPM Team Guide by Kunio Shirose

TPM for Workshop Leaders by Kunio Shirose

© 2004 AME® For information on reprints, contact:Association for Manufacturing Excellencewww.ame.org