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Gain a Competitive Advantage
by Reducing Unexpected Equipment Downtime

Unexpected equipment downtime can destroy your business. Unfortunately, companies often overlook reducing equipment downtime as an area for gaining a competitive advantage. If you are looking for an edge over your competition, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) may be your answer. The goal of TPM is zero losses — zero unscheduled down time, zero accidents, and zero defects. This unconventional approach may be the key to dramatically improving your bottom-line.

TPM is a radically different approach to maintaining equipment and managing a factory because it starts from a company’s top management and cascades down. "Total Productive Maintenance differs from traditional approaches because it starts from the plant manager down," explains Jack Ford, driver of the TPM program at National Semiconductor in Arlington, Texas. "They pilot the program. They spend time working on the machine and demonstrating the fact that they can reduce failures."

At National Semiconductor, the Managing Director and his staff comprised a pilot team to show that the TPM program works. In support of the program, the executive management team spent three hours each week in the manufacturing area working on the equipment and piloting the process.

Ford points out that TPM differs from traditional maintenance approaches in several ways. "The program requires a tremendous commitment from top management. Managers are involved hands-on in the program. The goals that are set are very aggressive. Instead of 10 to 20% reduction in failures, TPM sets goals of 70 to 80% reduction."

TPM drives a different set of behaviors. Ford uses a goal setting analogy to explain how TPM works. Setting a goal to save a $1000 is different from setting a goal to save $100,000. The goals require totally different behaviors to achieve them. With TPM, setting a big goal drives dramatic changes in behavior and stimulates creative thinking to achieve the goal.

TPM is not a quick fix approach. The focus of TPM is on eliminating or reducing losses in labor and equipment efficiency. This requires a long-term commitment of three to five years. "TPM looks at changing the conditions of the equipment and the behaviors of the people in how they deal with the equipment. Changing people’s behaviors is what takes so long," says Ford. "In a manufacturing environment, the equipment is central to changing the behavior of the operators."

The first goal of TPM is to restore the equipment to its original condition. Operators are involved with cleaning and restoring the equipment to its basic conditions. Then they help set standards to maintain those operating conditions. Ford explains that "the old attitude of an operator toward the equipment was ‘I run it. When it breaks, maintenance fixes it.’ The new attitude is ‘I run it. Therefore, I’m going to take care of it.’"

TPM is a proactive rather than a reactive approach to maintenance. Equipment operators and maintenance technicians receive training to identify problems before the equipment fails. The emphasis is on preventing failures instead of responding only when the equipment doesn’t work.

Equipment deterioration occurs in two ways. Natural deterioration occurs with normal operation over a period of years. Forced deterioration occurs when no one has properly maintained the equipment.

"The traditional system rewards the technician who fixes the equipment. The system doesn’t reward the person who prevents the failures," explains Ford. With TPM, maintenance technicians take the mind set that preventing failures is more important than actual repairs.

The success factors for TPM include: (1) management commitment, (2) the initial investment in time and money, and (3) long-term commitment.

According to Ford, "if you can take a manager who is not familiar with the equipment and have them achieve gains, then the operator on the floor believes that anybody can succeed with this program."

What’s the biggest obstacle to TPM’s success? "Middle managers appear to be the biggest obstacle," explains Ford. "They have conflicting goals, short cycle time goals, and productivity goals. Unless you show some quick wins, you lose their support. Middle managers are the biggest skeptics."

When successfully carried out, TPM has many benefits. "The payback is zero unscheduled downtime on equipment. That’s the goal," states Ford. The advantages of TPM are higher skilled people, less downtime, less inventory, and greater productivity.

A major challenge with a TPM program is finding ways to measure success accurately. For example, at National Semiconductor, scrap rate is one measure of success. Ford reports that five weeks into the program, a piece of equipment used in the pilot TPM program had its lowest scrap rate. "Because there is not a direct statistical correlation," Ford explains, "no one wants to admit that the improvement is due to the TPM efforts."

What has Ford learned from starting a TPM program? "The up front, behind the scenes development must be done first," cautions Ford. "The managers going through the pilot programs must understand that they are developing the process. The lower I get into the organization, the more excitement there is for the program. The teams require a lot of up front facilitation to learn the process."

An improvement in unpredicted equipment downtime quickly translates into lower costs, improved efficiency, and greater profits. If you are looking for a competitive advantage, look seriously at TPM.

Terry Bragg and Peacemakers Training offers a variety of tools for promoting, maintaining, and recognizing excellence in your workplace.  We also offer tools for helping you achieve and maintain personal excellence.  To learn more about these tools, click here: Tools for Workplace and Personal Excellence

To find out more about Terry's book, 31 Days to High Self-Esteem, click here: 31 Days to High Self-Esteem

To learn more about onsite seminars and workshops for improving interpersonal relationships, resolving conflict, and promoting and maintaining excellence in your workplace, click here: Seminars & Workshops

©2000 All rights reserved Terry Bragg•Peacemakers Training

Terry Bragg runs a company called Peacemakers Training in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the author of the book 31 Days to High Self-Esteem. He works with organizations to create a workplace where people want to work, and with managers who want their people to work together better. If you want your organization or your people to have more energy, more trust, more respect, and more meaning, please contact him at:

Peacemakers Training
5485 South Chaparral Drive
Murray, Utah 84123
801-288-9303
E-mail: terry@terrybragg.com
Web Site:  http://www.terrybragg.com

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