Don’t wait until it’s broke

After spending many years in manufacturing facilities, I have discovered that the number of ways to perform a task is as varied as the people working there. Facility and machine tool maintenance is no different. Each organization has a unique approach.

Although varied, the methods and philosophies fall into one of three categories: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it;” preventative maintenance; and total productive maintenance. The first approach simply does not work in today’s manufacturing environment, and can lead to unplanned downtime. However, limited resources, time constraints, rising costs and other variables can cause a shop to inadvertently adopt this attitude. Other times, management does not feel routine maintenance is warranted. In either case, it is not uncommon to find shops that don’t have formal maintenance programs.

However, machine operators often take ownership of equipment when the machines are only used by a small group of people. They frequently refer to equipment as “my machine” and notice small changes in its condition, changes that can indicate imminent failure.

When operators take ownership, they tend to safeguard the machine by performing routine maintenance, such as cleaning and monitoring fluids. They also tend to be less aggressive with operating parameters, which can extend operating life and minimize breakdowns but lengthen cycle times.

When a machine is shared among several operators, it is difficult to get them to take that type of ownership. As the level of ownership decreases, the likelihood of machine failure increases. These environments are usually multiple-shift, high-production plants where machines are manually loaded and operated. These organizations typically have formal PM programs.

An effective PM program includes the manufacturer’s recommended service at scheduled intervals. Changing fluids and filters are the most common activities, but good PM should include inspection of items known to wear or fail on a consistent basis, as well as cleaning, adjusting settings and correcting alignment issues.

Total productive maintenance is the most advanced form, and considers more than just basic maintenance; it works to maximize machine efficiency.

TPM is proactive and uses data to drive decisions about maintenance schedules. TPM prompts maintenance to frequently change components on machines that may appear to be in good condition. If data shows the component has a predictable life, it will be replaced during planned downtime to prevent a failure from interrupting production.