Practical TPM, Part 1: 5S Is Not a Cleaning Project – It Is the Foundation of Productive Maintenance
TPM, or Total Productive Maintenance, is not just a maintenance method or a factory development programme. In practice, it is a way to see where production capability is lost: in disturbances, waiting, unclear responsibilities, unnoticed abnormalities and repairs carried out too late.
Good maintenance often starts long before the actual failure. It starts with what is seen around the machine, what is missed, and how quickly abnormalities are reacted to.
In many maintenance organisations, everyday work is still constant urgency: repairing the next fault, searching for missing information, patching production stoppages and trying to get through the day. In large production units, TPM thinking has often been developed for a long time, but in many other environments its systematic operating model is still only partly in use.
In this blog series, I open up from a practical maintenance perspective how TPM helps to see production losses before they turn into downtime. How do disturbances develop? Why are some faults detected early and others only when it is too late? And why is 5S much more than cleanliness and order?
In this first part, I discuss 5S as the foundation of TPM. When the working environment, the basic condition of equipment, tools and operating practices are under control, maintenance is not only about repairing faults. It becomes part of protecting production capability.
Why 5S Is the Foundation of Maintenance
5S is too often understood only as cleanliness and order. In industrial maintenance, its meaning is much broader. It creates the foundation for detecting equipment condition, abnormalities, safety risks and early signs of disturbances in time.
TPM, or Total Productive Maintenance, means improving the effectiveness of the entire production system through the cooperation of people, equipment, maintenance and continuous improvement. In this article, the perspective is especially on maintenance, because the basic condition of equipment, the detection of abnormalities and the response to disturbances determine how well production capability is preserved in practice.
When the work environment, tools, spare parts, inspections and basic operating practices are under control, maintenance is not limited to repairing faults. It becomes part of protecting production capability.
I explain in this article why 5S is the foundation of TPM and not a separate cleaning campaign.
In the TPM process, the practical impact of a correctly implemented 5S process on total production effectiveness becomes very concrete. Cleanliness and order are not values in themselves. They are essential conditions for a productive manufacturing process.
This first part looks at the TPM process from its origins to the present day and explains why 5S has a central role in TPM. The focus is on the history of TPM, on 5S as its foundation, and on the first pillar of TPM: continuous improvement as a way to ensure the functionality of production equipment.
History of TPM
TPM was created in Japan in 1971 based on the American concept of preventive maintenance, which had been developed in the 1950s and 1960s. TPM has since developed into a comprehensive manufacturing philosophy aimed at maximising the effectiveness of the entire production system.
One characteristic of TPM is employee participation in 5S activities according to the concept of autonomous maintenance, which has been a unique feature in Western processes. Another characteristic is the formation of small groups, Kaizen groups, throughout the organisation to continuously improve the manufacturing process by removing different forms of waste and losses. The problem-solving method is a systematic 10-step method, which I have written about earlier in this blog series.
TPM originated inside Nippon Denso Co. Ltd. The company was an automotive component supplier owned by Toyota, but it separated from Toyota in 1949 and is now an independent company called Denso Corporation. The company became the first winner of the TPM award in 1971. Toyota’s requirement for Denso to deliver according to the Just in Time principle meant that high process reliability was essential.
JIT – Just in Time: delivering the required products, in the required quantities, at the required time, to the right place.
JIT does not allow any delivery interruptions. Later, as many companies adopted JIT in different industries, the implementation of TPM became a necessary part of the production process.
Total Productive Maintenance means proactive activity in which all employees, from top management to operators, participate in identifying and eliminating waste and losses throughout the company.
To internalise productive maintenance, it is important to understand that the Japanese word Hozen, which literally means maintenance, does not mean exactly the same thing to the Japanese as it does to Europeans. Maintenance is usually seen as repairing, refurbishing or restoring a machine, carried out by skilled workers.
However, the correct understanding of Hozen means that TPM is a company-wide continuous improvement philosophy aimed at the systematic elimination of all kinds of inefficiency, waste and losses.
Definition of TPM
Total Productive Maintenance means maintaining the production process in its full scope.
It is a manufacturing philosophy, not a technical system. At the same time, it implements the second part of Kaizen, the ZEN element, which I have discussed more in this blog series. New thinking must include maintaining the entire production process.
In practice, TPM means:
- shaping company culture to maximise the total effectiveness of the production system
- creating systems that prevent losses and achieve the set targets: zero accidents, zero defects and zero waste
- involving all company departments: sales, marketing, design, development, administration and management
- involving all employees from top management to frontline operators
- achieving zero losses through cross-organisational problem-solving and improvement teams, in other words through Kaizen groups
Implementing TPM
TPM is usually implemented in an organisation as a 3–5 year process. During the process, benchmark target values and indices are defined to monitor the implementation process.
Most companies use a “pillar” approach, meaning different areas of the process, as shown in Figure 1. The process is a carefully controlled structure, managed through targets set across the organisation, and it affects every department at some stage.
TPM aims to change and revitalise company culture in order to achieve a World Class Manufacturing level.
8 Pillars for Developing the TPM Process
The TPM process is commonly described through eight pillars. Together they show how production efficiency, equipment reliability, competence, quality, support functions and safety are developed as one system.
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Continuous improvement, or Kaizen. Improving production efficiency and OEE through small-group activities and waste analysis. The objective is to minimise inputs and maximise outputs through systematic improvement.
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Autonomous maintenance, or Jishu-Hozen. A step-by-step programme that trains users in the basics of equipment and in the basic maintenance of their own machines.
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Planned maintenance. Maintenance actions are carried out on time so that possible breakdowns can be avoided.
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Training and competence development. The skills and competence of maintenance personnel and users are improved so that abnormalities are detected and problems are solved more effectively.
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Early management of materials and production flow. Information collected through autonomous maintenance, planned maintenance and targeted improvement is used to support the introduction of new products and equipment.
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Quality maintenance, or maintaining quality through maintenance. “Zero defects” are achieved by creating, maintaining and controlling the basic conditions of equipment.
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TPM in support functions. Removing waste and losses from administrative functions supports an improved manufacturing process and autonomous maintenance of office equipment.
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Health, Safety and Environment, HSE. Creating monitoring systems for health, occupational safety and both internal and external conditions.
Finally
The value of 5S is ultimately seen in how quickly abnormalities are detected and how consistently they are reacted to. A clean, organised and standardised environment does not improve production by itself, but it makes problems visible.
This is a decisive point for maintenance. When a disturbance is detected early, it can be turned into an observation, a conclusion and an improvement action before it becomes expensive downtime.
In the next article, I will continue with the five steps of 5S and their practical meaning. We will then look more closely at how Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke support the eight pillars of TPM in maintenance and daily production work.
Pentti Enlund
MexLink Oy