Concepts of Total Productive Maintenance - Topic - 6 : Steps of Jishu- Hozen (JH Pillar) -Part 3

Jishu-Hozen Pillar Step 1 : Initial cleaning and inspection

In continuation to my previous blog posts, "Steps of  Jishu-Hozen Part 1 and Part 2",(Links : Steps of JH Part 1 and Steps of JH Part 2), where we have discussed in detail about Jishu- Hozen pillar  a, its steps of implementation and Step -0 of Jishu Hozen i.e. Preliminary step of preparatory step, here in this blog we will discuss on the Step -1 of Jishu-hozen, i.e. Initial cleaning and inspection of machine. The step is Explained below :

Step -1 : Initial Cleaning , Inspection :

Fig. 1. Operator Cleaning his own equipment

The literal meaning of the word "Cleaning Activity", includes the activities of removal  of dusts , stains , oil blots, machined chips and burs, cut powder, sludge, scale, ruct and other foreign unwanted matters or particles that gets deposited on the machine / equipment, that makes the machine or equipment untidy and unfit for work. These cleansing is an important step before machine starting and enables the operators also to find the opportunity of potential malfunction and potential defect creation during operation. While cleaning operators gets to know or is able to discover points of leakages, loosening and damage, gets to know about the actual state of essential machine running parameters such as oil level, pressure check, sensor functions, abnormalities related to jig or fixture mountings, potential hazards and many more things. Here machine or equipment cleaning does not target for, just exterior appearance improvement, it also calls for a keen checkup of all essential parameter. Hence in Jishu- Hozen or autonomous maintenance, cleaning process also includes inspection, or in other words, "Cleaning is Inspection".


Hazards or problems arising from insufficient cleaning is shown in the below tabulated form:

Table 1. Hazards or problems arising from insufficient cleaning

In Jishu- Hozen, cleaning and inspection process must go hand in hand. It is not rare, that in a fully equipped production line, or a large size manufacturing setup, nearly 200 to 500 abnormalities can be observed when cleaning is conducted in every part of machine / equipment.

During the initiation of Jishu- hozen  the operators must be trained on the cleaning procedure and cleaning equipments. Inspection must be carried out during machine / equipment cleaning. The major points that needs to be worked on and / or the points that must get addressed at the time of Step 1 of Jishu Hozen i.e cleaning and inspection are illustrated in following steps -

• Adequacy of Training :  Complete training must be given to the operators and they should be personally engaged in cleaning. They should learn to treat cleaning and inspection as a part of their own work responsibility. 
• Verification of Safety checkpoints : The operator must check and ensure the safety aspects are in place before initiating the cleaning process and even during conduction of cleaning activities. The operator must be equipped with right PPE's and cleaning apparatuses. During cleaning the operators must check safety curtains, sensors, safety guards, performance and connections of alarms and buzzers etc. The operators may also take photographs before going for cleaning activity.
• Standardise cleaning process : The operators must be given training on standardised cleaning and inspection process. Supervisors or line in-charges must ensure that the operators are observing / following the standards.  CLIT is a commonly used term in standardisation of cleaning process which stands for Cleaning, Lubrication, Inspection and Tightening. Some of the commonly used tools in industries are shown below as examples.              

Fig.2. Examples of some cleaning tools used commonly in industries

• Identification of "Hard to access" points and "sources of contamination:  :  The operators must know to dismantle the machine / equipment and reassemble it for cleaning purpose. He must open the lids and machine covers by himself and while doing so he should, by himself identify  tough to reach areas or hard to access areas and sources of contamination. The identified "Hard to Access Areas"and "Source of contamination" can be listed as per the below table :                     

Table .2. Register the list of   "Hard to access areas" and enlist the  projects for small group activity

                   

Table 3. Register the list of, "Sources of contamination" and enlist the projects for small group activities.

• Ensuring of complete cleaning : The operator should check and verify complete removal of dirt and dust accumulated over the years in the machine. In the initial stage of JH it is very important. Special focus must be given to the moving parts, rubbing surfaces and other critical areas. Cleaning should be done not only of the machines but also of the ancillary equipment's  such as holders, electrical panels, shifting trolleys, oil tanks, lubricant holder, casings etc. 
• Adherence to the cleaning plan : The cleaning plans must be observed. No parts should be left. The operator must not abandon the cleaning plan assuming, that the equipment will soon be stained or dirtied again as it is brought to use. 
• Inspection along with cleaning : While cleaning the operator also inspect the machine / equipment and keep exposing equipment defects or malfunctions. It is necessary for the operators to know , how to find defects and abnormalities during cleaning and  how to highlight them. There are 7 types of abnormalities in TPM terminology and in Japanese these defects abnormalities are called "Fuguais". The operators must receive training and guidance on ideal and basic condition of machine / equipment and how to identify the abnormalities. The operators needs to learn to use sensing methods correctly to identify abnormalities, an example is given below table : 

Table. 4. Some examples of identification of machine related abnormalities through sensing based inspection

• Some abnormalities are shown in the figure below as an example, which are commonly observed in industry :

Table 5. Some of the frequently observed abnormalities in industries are shown in the figure 

• As it is already been mentioned earlier that the abnormalities are termed as "Fuguai" in Japanese, and there are 7 different types of Fuguai s, explained below - 

  

  Fig. 3. Seven types of Fuguai

• Examples of Seven Types of Fuguai's / Abnormalities   are given below : 
1. Minor flaws : Minor flaws may be related to contamination, damage, play of fasteners, abnormal phenomenon such as noise vibration, adhesion.
2. Unfulfilled conditions : Unfulfilled conditions may be related to lubrication, lubricant supply, oil level gauges, tightening etc.
3. Inaccessible places : Inaccessible places related to cleaning, lubricating, tightening , operation adjustment and inspection.
4. Contamination sources : Sources of contamination may be related to products, raw materials, lubricants, gases, liquids, scrap etc. 
5. Quality defect sources : Quality defect sources may be related to foreign matter, Shock, moisture, concentration viscosity etc. 
6. Unnecessary or non urgent items termed as Unwanted slow moving object : Signifies standby equipments such as additional cooling fans, pipes and connections, additional jigs, tools and spare parts, additional wirings, supporting electrical equipments such as plugs ammeters, voltmeters, coolant or water tanks etc.
7. Unsafe place : Unsafe place may be due to Slippery floor, broken stairs / steps, low light, presence of rotating machinery , old and malfunctioning lifting device.

To further understand the seven types of "Fuguais"or abnormalities please go through my blog post : "7 types of FIGUAI" ( Link : Under preparation)

• Tagging of FUGUAI s : Once the abnormalities are identified Tagging needs to be done on the machine. Along with tagging a data sheet or summary sheet of the tags needs to be prepared which talks about type of FUGUAI, location of FUGUAI, state of malfunction (Such as inclusion of foreign matter, position of inclusion, hard to access locations, sources of contamination and other matters etc.). The tags containing details of the FUGUAIs are attached to the actual points of malfunctions of the equipment so that it becomes easily identifiable  (at which location or part of the machine what kind of abnormality exists. An example is shown in the figure 4.

      

Fig. 4. Identification of abnormalities or FUGUAI on the machine through tagging and analysis of category wise tags

• FUGUAI Tags : Some companies practices having two types of FUGUAI tags and some companies prefer to have 3 types of FUGUAI tags. The tag colour is chosen based on the classification of the abnormalities. 
• Red FUGUAI Tags: They are used to sight those specific machine malfunction/(s) , that needs special attention from a specialist or a maintenance personnel or a contractor personnel or representative of particular machine manufacturer. Production operator or JH circle members (JH CIRCLE- small group of people who are associated with a specific machine or line forms a team do take up improvement projects related to that machine or line.)
• White FUGUAI Tags : They are used to highlight those abnormalities or malfunctions that can be taken be rectified by the machine operators or the JH circle members. A white tag may be attached in case of following abnormalities for example : 
1. Loosening of fitting bolts of limit switches, proximity switches and photoelectric switches.
2. Replacement of worn-off  screws, scattering of cut powders and cutting oils.
3. Dislocation and twisting of movable sections in wiring.
4. Replacement of damaged V-belts, tension springs and loosened chains. 
5. Air and oil leakage due to less tightened bolts, loose joints or loose tube fittings.
6. Replacement of grease cups due to chipping. 
• Yellow FUGUAI Tags : Some companies uses yellow FUGUAI tags to sight the abnormalities or non-conformities related to safe work performance of the machine. Some unsafe conditions and potential unsafe situations are highlighted in these tags. These tags can be mounted by any body (the personnel related to the machine or not does not matter) on the machine. These safety tags are preferably to be closed in consensus with safety officer or  a safety expert of the machine. Operators along with maintenance personnel may be involved in closing the abnormalities or malfunctions highlighted in the safety tags (yellow FUGUAI tags). 

Fig. 5. Red, White and Yellow FUGUAI tags, needs to be attached to the locations of machine / equipment where minor abnormality and malfunction has been observed.

• Based upon these tags a list of abnormalities (shown below) and a abnormality tag matrix (shown below) can be prepared for further analysis. Five types of abnormality highlighted in the FUGUAI tags must be removed or eliminated by operation personnels. These five types are - Minor flaws, unfulfilled basic conditions, quality defect sources, unwanted and slow moving objects, unsafe conditions. For the other two categories of abnormalities i.e. Sources of contamination and Hard to access areas (HAA) the operation team may seek support form maintenance personnel or maintenance staff. So the key to success is the cooperative action jointly taken by operations team and maintenance team. As a matter of fact, at a higher level of maturity among operating staff(generated due to high level of involvement in JH activity) results in such scenarios where the operators may propose the improvements and the maintenance staffs are often involved in executing the suggested repairing activity. 

  

  Fig. 6. Removal of 5 types of FUGUAI 

• The FUGUAI tags needs to be reviewed time to time as per the standard frequency set by the organization. Once an abnormality or cause of malfunction is eliminated from the machine or equipment, the relevant tags must be removed from the machine. The tags needs to be stored and a running tag register needs to be kept so that the related history of abnormality and malfunctions of the machine / equipment can be referred in future. 
• As a part of common industrial practice the red FUGUAI tags are removed (i.e. abnormality is eliminated) with in 7 days from the date of tagging and white tags are removed with in 48 hours (maximum two days) form the date of tagging. The Safety FUGUAI tags are to be removed only after taking consensus of Safety personnel or relevant responsible person. Note :There is no such guideline which specifically mentions about the target time of tag removal. But most of the industries makes a standard for it so that the abnormalities does not last for a longer time and operator does not run the machine / equipment with abnormalities for long time.

Table 6. Example formats to identify and highlight list of abnormalities in machines or equipments 

Table 7. Abnormality tag matrix for analysis of the abnormalities appeared on a particular machine over a period of time. This is used for analysis of frequency of recurrence based on particular time frame for a specific machine or equipment.

• Documentation of Step 1 of Jishu -Hozen : To summarise the 1st step of Jishu-Hozen i.e. "Initial Cleaning and Inspection", some documentations are needed to be done and the formats are needed to be filled holistically. The documents are - 

1. List of abnormalities or FUGUAI s
2. List of malfunctioning or foul parts
3. List of hard to access areas
4. List of sources of contamination 
5. Abnormality Matrix
6. Status of FUGUAI tags - machine wise 
7. Why why analysis of abnormalities or FUGUAI s 
8. List of countermeasures and their implementation status for "5 types of abnormalities" (Abnormalities which are responsible for forced deterioration). 

These documentations and activity trackers are to be regularly updated and audited for effectiveness. A small description of Jishu-hozen step 1 audit is given in the next point.

• Auditing of stage 1 of Jishu Hozen implementation : At the end of stage 1 of Jishu hozen stage i.e. " Initial Cleaning , Inspection" tentative cleaning standards are prepared, based on observations made from "List of minor defects", " List of hard to access areas", "List of sources of contamination", " List of sources of quality defects", "List of unnecessary or non-urgent items" and " List of unsafe conditions and hazards". These lists are prepared during the first time cleaning and inspection only. Managers are involved along with operators to decide the machine restoration and improvement standards. List of activities during initial cleaning and post cleaning are decided and a diagnosis is done. TPM activity boards are prepared for visual display of trends of abnormality and small improvement groups re formed to drive improvement initiatives. All these standardisation calls for an audit to verify sufficiency and effectiveness of Stage 1 of JH. The stage 1 Audit can be done in layered audit approach i.e. Self Audit, Department Audit, and management Audit. Score targets may be decided for each layer of Audit (an example is given below). An Standard Audit check sheet can be used for audit purpose. An example format is shown only to give a flavour. Note : No specific standard audit check sheet or audit process is recommended any where. Individual Organisations always may have their own standards in terms of auditing practice depending upon their way of working. Following layered audit approach and audit check sheet is shown just for referring as examples.

Fig. 7. A sample layered audit structure (for example ) may be adopted 

A diagnosis or audit check sheet as a sample is shown below:

Table 8. A sample of  JH Stage 1 (i.e. Initial cleaning and inspection stage) audit or diagnosis check sheet for reference

 Hope you will like the detailed explanation given above in terms of implementing JH Stage 1 i.e. Initial cleaning and inspection stage.  The next step is, " Step -2 : Countermeasures against Sources of contamination and hard to access areas (Link : Under preparation).

Thank you very much for your patience reading. I would like to receive inputs and feedbacks from you. Kindly follow me (press the follow button). and leave your expert comments in the comment section below.

... to be continued!

Concepts of Total Productive Maintenance - Topic - 6 : Steps of Jishu- Hozen (JH Pillar) -Part 2

Jishu-Hozen Pillar Step 0: Preparatory Step or initial preparation

As already mentioned in my last blog post (Link : Steps of Jishu-Hozen (Part-1)) that there are seven steps in totality along with a preparatory stage which is also called "Step -0 : Preliminary step or preparatory step. So, including this step the total number of steps to have complete implementation of JH (Jishu-Hozen) or autonomous maintenance  is eight.  So let me begin with the first step.

Step -0 : Preliminary step or preparatory step of Jishu -Hozen (commonly known as JH Pillar):

Fig. 1. Preparation for JH Implementation

This is a preparatory step for the production operators who has to takeover maintenance activities of their own machines form maintenance team members. The operators needs to understand all aspects of Jishu Hozen or autonomous maintenance. They need to be clear about forced and natural deterioration aspects of their machine / equipment. They also need to be made aware of the safety aspects of the machines while running the machine and doing JH. Such trained operators are called expert equipment operators.

 Fig. 2. Improvement through stronger Human-Machine interaction

Before going to the Step 1 of JH, the machine operators need to be psychologically framed and practically trained on the aspects as detailed below do demonstrate excellence in their performance: 

1. The operator needs to have through understanding on the importance of JH.
2. They should be clear about natural and forced deterioration phenomenon of machine / equipment. They must be clear about the adverse effect of forced deterioration (explained in my previous post : Steps of Jishu Hozen (JH Pillar) - Part 1) and they should also understand what will happen if the machines are poorly operated and maintained.
3. They should have a clear understanding normal and abnormal conditions. They are expected to have the capability of firmly setting the condition and criteria for normalities and abnormalities.
4. The operators should have the understanding of losses, failures and defects, with clarity of corresponding responsibilities to repair and rectify them. A details of maintenance history (SQPDCM based) may be prepared and operators may be given an illustrative training on that.
5. The operators should be given safety trainings and education on prediction of injuries and potential hazard, electrical shocks, dropping of articles and related injuries, slippery surface, fall-down injury, skin and eye irritation etc and they should also know about the first aids for minor injuries. (Detailed safety awareness and training being taken care under SHE pillar of TPM, but safety is an integral part of TPM and hence appears in all the pillars).
6. The operators should know to draw a simple illustration of equipment to identify different units and components of the equipment, their usage, functionality and performance standard. 
7. The operators should have complete awareness of basic equipment condition, and ideal equipment condition (details of "Basic equipment condition" and "Ideal equipment condition" is given below under * section at the end of the post), and they should have the capability of  finding and improving machine malfunctions.
8. The operators needs to understand the importance of tags (Red and white tags), they should also know tag details, abnormality matrix and tag register. An "Abnormality Tag Matrix" is shown below for reference. (for details please click the link : Under preparation)

Fig. 3. An example of abnormality tag matrix

         

       9.   The operator needs to know how and what to dis-cover (open up or dismantle) to discover the cause families that may be or that are responsible for performance related abnormalities of the machine / equipment.

       10. The production operators must be give hands on training on 1S and 2S (1S-means "Serie" a japanese term which means segregation and 2S - means "Seiton", again a japanese term which means systematic arrangement) so that they are able to effectively accomplish production along with maintaining the machine / equipment.

       11. The operators needs to understand and work as per clear schedule of activities on activity boards. To maintain discipline activity boards are very essential and they need to be updated regularly as per the decided frequency (mostly by hand) to have a correct set of data trend, which will enable them to take quick and correct decisions. An example of working with activity board is shown below. The sheets on the activity boards are dynamic document and should be reviewed on regular basis.

Fig. 4. Regular monitoring on activity board

       12.  The machine manuals, that comes along the machines / equipments are kept (most of the times) with maintenance personnel. The production supervisors, operators, line leaders and the associates who are working in the shopfloor or with machines must undergo training of the machine / equipment manuals. They must understand the functionality of parts, circuit diagrams, sequence of dismantling and reassembling of the machines, electrical connections etc. These trainings are essential in order to prevent repairing failures, shortening the time of Jishu -Hozen activities, and there by eliminating the potential causes of break down.

       13. The operators must understand the cleaning process, they should understanding purpose of cleaning, cleaning equipments and their usage. They should learn to follow the step by step  standard operating process of dismantling, cleaning, lubricating, inspecting, fixing, tightening of the machine / equipment. They should also be taught about the machine parameter checks such as oil level, sensor fixation, electrical checks, temperature checks, pressure checks and check points of other essential parameters which are responsible for smooth running of the machine.

       14. The operators must be taught about the storage location and issuing process of essential cleaning equipments, replaceable parts (in case of occurrence of damage), and consumables such as lubricants, machine oils etc. This will help the operators to have quick and speedy restoration of basic condition in case of an abnormal situation or machine stoppage.

       15. With the introduction of JH pillar in the process, the operators "Role and Responsibility"gets enriched and enhanced. They must be intimated about their additional responsibilities and the added roles they need to perform to make JH initiative a grand success. As already been discussed Jishu- Hozen", pillar calls for a complete shift of mindset from - " I operate and you (i.e. maintenance) maintain", to  "I operate, I own, I maintain" .  

Fig.5. Shift of mindset from " I operate and you (i.e. maintenance) maintain", to  "I operate, I own, I maintain" .  

Before concluding the "Step 0" of Jishu-hozen, we also need to know two aspects, i.e. basic equipment condition, and ideal equipment condition, that has been highlighted in point number 7 with a " * "mark. The details are given below : 

(*)

A. Basic Equipment Condition : Basic condition of the equipment refers to a condition of machine or equipment, where there is no scope left for forced deterioration. (Natural deterioration and forced deterioration is already explained in my previous blog post : Steps of Jishu-Hozen (Part-1)). The potentials  or chances of forced deterioration is eliminated through -

• "Cleaning" activity for complete removal of dust and stains and exposure to potential defects; 
• "Oiling " activity to prevent wear and burning by eliminating oil leakage and oil depletion;
• "Tightening" activity to preclude loosening of the bolts and nuts, to prevent erroneous actions and breakage.

B. Ideal Equipment Condition : The ideal state is a condition in which the equipment / machine performs at its highest level in terms of machine functionality, machine productivity and machine maintainability. These state is achieved when -

• Absolute conditions or necessary conditions for machine to perform are in place with respect to the specifications e.g. machine working temperature, heat, oil levels, voltage, coolant temperature etc. 
• Desirable conditions or condition of sufficiency for the machine is well addressed. These are the conditions that are not indispensable, but non fulfilling of them some time causes failures or defects. e.g. Specific temperature to be maintained in the metrology labs to have most precious readings. 

The ideal equipment condition is achieved when both necessary conditions and desirable conditions are met. Keeping the machine in an ideal situation is not possible always. Some time it is a costly affair also. 

On the other hand by cleaning and inspecting the machine / equipment parts, defects can be identified and by rectifying and improving machine malfunctions losses can be prevented. This is why, importance is always given towards maintaining basic conditions and in case of occurrence abnormality, major focus if given on quick and speedy restoration of the basic condition. This is one of the major objective of Jishu-hozen or Autonomous Maintenance.

With this the Step - 0 i.e. Preliminary step or preparatory step of Jishu -Hozen (commonly known as JH Pillar) is completed from my side. I appreciate all of your focus and attention and I would also like to receive your feedbacks, suggestions and inputs in the comment section below.

The next step is Step - 1 i.e Initial cleaning , inspection (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation). Thank you very much for your continuous support and appreciations. Plz continue reading.

... to be continued

Concepts of Total Productive Maintenance - Topic - 6 : Steps of Jishu- Hozen (JH Pillar) -Part 1

Steps of Jishu Hozen (JH Pillar) - Part 1

A descriptive details of  of Jishu Hozen Pillar (popularly known as JH pillar) of "Total Productive Maintenance"is given in my last blog, "8 Pillars of Total Productive Maintenance" (to know more, plz click on : 8 pillars of TPM). As we already know, that under the Jishu-Hozen pillar the operator is made responsible to take care of the maintenance work of the machine and he is trained to do it . 

The operator has to do a self-initiated maintenance of the machine concentrating on the basic cleaning of the machine parts, lubricating and oiling of the parts that rubs against each other during operation, tightening of the nuts and bolts, checking oil level/ temperature level and other important parameters, before running the machine and / or monitoring important parameters during machine running conditions, inspecting and diagnosing for potential problems and taking relabvent actions that increases the productive life of the machines or equipments, that are ran by him.  In simple terms Jishu- Hozen is comparable to our daily maintenance activities that we do to keep our self and our body fit to perform on daily basis, such as -brushing teeth, taking bath, eating, exercising etc.

Fig. 1. Why Jishu-Hozen is important

Jishu Hozen or autonomous maintenance as a concept, eliminates the boundaries of traditional distinction in terms of role of machine operators and shop floor maintenance personnel's. Traditional belief system was that the machine operators role is only to take care of the production through a machine or equipment and checking the machine health and keeping it ready for regular production is the responsibility of the maintenance personnel. But Jishu- Hozen has not only over ruled the idea but also has changed over the mind set from "I operate, you maintain", to "I operate, I own and I maintain". 

Fig. 2. Shift in mindset of  production and maintenance personnel, before and after implementation of JH

To perform Jishu - Hozen effectively the operator should have following basic abilities : 

• The operator should be proficient in equipment operations and maintenance. The operator must have through knowledge of his machine, for which he may be prepared by continuous trainings.
• The operator should have the ability to sense abnormality, and should also have the ability to find out the source or location of the abnormality in the machine or equipment. He should be able to feel the suspicious behaviour of the machine looking at machine parameters or looking at the effect on the machined component/product. 
• The operator should have adequate knowledge and ability to understand the co-relation between machine / equipment performance and product quality, so that he is able to predict the root causes by looking at the abnormal quality of the product.
• The operator should have knowledge and understanding of  the equipment mechanism and functionalities to locate the possible causes if some trouble occurs.

Fig.3. Operator Takes care of their own machines / equipments

Above competencies are obvious result of experience and rigorous training. The basic objectives of Jishu Hozen or autonomous maintenance are : 

1. Creating flexibility in the operators, to operate and maintain the equipments / machines run by themselves.
2. Increasing the skill level of the operators, may be by rigorous trainings and awareness sessions.
3. Elimination of defects or root causes of defects at the source level.
4. Preventing the quality defects form recurring.
5. Establishing the process of daily check for deterioration of the machine and doing quick restorations. 
6. Keeping the performance of the machine or equipment at optimum level for a longer duration of life cycle of operation. 
7. Step wise implementation of JH activities 
8. Prevention of forced deterioration of vital components. 

Note :-  Here two terms needs to be understood : 

1. Natural Deterioration : Deterioration or reduction in functional performance level of the machine/ equipment due to the ending of machines / equipments service life.Natural deterioration can be restricted and machine life can be increased by ontime inspection and repairs and Planned Maintenance. Hence, Natural Deterioration is ageing under standard operating conditions.
2. Forced Deterioration :  Deterioration or reduction in functional performance level of the machine/ equipment due to improper usage by the operator. These deteriorations are attributable to poor handling and inferior working/environmental conditions caused by human beings i.e these deteriorations are artificially induced and accelerated because of non-standard working conditions.  In particular, an extremely poor human-created environment results in to rust, stains, oil leakage, dust, paint peal-off etc. and these intern accelerates forced deterioration of machine / equipment causing failures. 

Fig. 4. Explanation of Natural Deterioration and Forced Deterioration

So in both the cases i.e. in case of natural deterioration and and forced deterioration we need a zero break down strategy, which more or less will look like as detailed below :

Fig. 5. Zero breakdown strategy for both natural and forced deterioration

Elimination of the chances of forced deterioration of machine and rigorous execution of  cleaning, oiling tightening, maintenance and control etc. are the practices that are necessary to enhance machine working life and improvements brought through the above mentioned daily practices are termed as basic condition restoration activities. These basic condition restoration activities in Jishu-Hozen pillar are been brought under 7 Steps and these are popularly known as 7 Steps of JH. 

But, before going to the steps of Jishu- Hozen, we will talk about some support that are expected from Maintenance team to be offered to the production team: 

1. Elastrative training must be given to the production team members on 

• Names of the machine parts and their functioning
• Structure and fitment of the parts 
• Machine disassembling or dismantling and reassembling
• Do s and don't s of assembling and disassembling process 

2. Guidance on cleaning process in terms of 

• Important points to be taken care during cleaning
• Points of dust accumulation and chocking
• Wiping methods 
• Opening and closing methods of  covers, leads to remove dust and dirt
• Safety instructions and electrical and mechanical connections

3. Guidance on Lubrication process in terms of 

• Classification of lubricants and oil types and their usage
• Oiling locations, oiling quantity and oiling frequency or periods

4. Technical guidance on control of sources of contaminations and other defects, taking countermeasures and taking improvement measures on hard to clean and hard to access areas, improving efficiency of operations and doing KAIZENs. 

5. Guidance on basic condition /ideal condition of machine, machine malfunctions, abnormality detection and quick deterioration restoration methods.

Below are the details of seven steps of Jishu-Hozen or autonomous maintenance : Before the seven step begins, there is a preparatory step which is called Step 0 which is preliminary step or initial step. This step includes activities like employee training, collection of basic history of machine, preparation of cleaning map and area ownership. The staire structure of the steps looks as below:

Fig. 6. Seven Steps of Jishu- Hozen Pillar

The details of each step is given in the detailed link below: 

• Step - 0 : Preliminary step or preparatory step (to know more click on the link : Steps of Jishu- Hozen (JH Pillar) -Part 2)
• Step - 1 : Initial cleaning , inspection (to know more click on the link : Steps of Jishu- Hozen (JH Pillar) -Part 3)
• Step - 2 : Countermeasures against sources of contamination and difficult to access areas (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation)
• Step - 3 : Formation of tentative standards (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation)
• Step - 4 : Overall Inspection (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation)
• Step - 5 : Autonomous inspection (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation)
• Step - 6 : Standardization (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation)
• Step - 7 : Autonomous management (to know more click on the link : Link Under Preparation)

To understand the implementation method and details of each of the seven steps of Jishu-Hozen (Autonomous Maintenance Pillar) please refer to my next blog post. (Link : Steps of JH Pillar - Part2). Thank you very much for your support and affection. 

... please continue reading!

Concepts of Total Productive Maintenance -Topic - 5 : 8 Pillars of Total Productive maintenance

8 Pillars of Total Productive Maintenance

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM),  is a team based effort to build quality into equipments, a set of strategic and systematic initiatives to out-perform in terms of productivity of the manufacturing set-up, a focused approach to eliminate waste and losses from the system, a result of inherent urge to reduce the chance of potential accidents and at the same time offering a better, healthier, safer work environment. TPM initially conceptualised to be a concentrated shop floor practice, has underwent numerous changes time to time, and today has become a way of doing business. 

With all new amendments and changes the concepts "Total Productive Maintenance" stands on 8 pillars which are also being globally accepted. Concepts of TPM challenges the traditional course of thought process that was advocating the clear distinction of roles between production personnel and maintenance personal and instead promotes the concept of shared responsibility between the personnel's of both the function.  This shift in the direction of thought process creates a sense of ownership and brings in greater level of involvement. TPM emphasises more proactive and preventive maintenance to maximise the operational efficiency and achieve optimum equipment effectiveness. In a TPM practising set-up people are the center of system and one point must remain clear that improved productivity nowhere does mean that it will have an adverse impact on employability of the organisation. The 8 pillars of TPM ensures only improved efficiency, effectiveness of machines and equipments along with improved manpower productivity through continuous training and development. TPM practices calls for four zeros, that are "Zero Breakdown", "Zero Defects", "Zero Accidents" and "Zero Wastage/ Leakages".

The 8 pillars of TPM are a structured set of principles, and should not be misinterpreted as set of random tools and techniques implemented in a haphazard manner. Instead, these pillars are highly strategic and are aimed to proactively improving the reliability of the set-up. The 8 Pillars are detailed below:

1. Kobetsu Kaizen (KK) i.e focused improvements or known as individual Kaizens 
2. Jishu Hozen (JH) i.e. autonomous maintenance 
3. Kaikaku Hozen (KH) i.e. planned maintenance 
4. Hinshitsu Hozen (HH) i.e. quality maintenance 
5. Early equipment maintenance or development management 
6. Safety, Health and Environment (SHE)
7. Education and Training (E&T)
8. Office TPM 

Fig.1 The 8 Pillar Structure of Total Productive maintenance

A small description of the 8 pillars of Total Productive Maintenance  are given below. Along with the pillars an abrupt idea of "Management Index", "Activity Result Index" and "Activity Index" has been shared during detailing of each pillar.

1. Kobetsu Kaizen (KK) i.e. Focused Improvements or Individual Kaizens : 

Kobetsu Kaizen of focused improvement pillar combines the collective talents of the company, establishes a platform of knowledge sharing and helps building a improvement oriented culture through engagement of employees. Here is how it works,

• A culture of Kaizen is established to in order to guide the  creative energy of employees towards  small or incremental improvements. Continuous practice of Kobetsu Kaizen results into increase of  the overall efficiency of the equipment's and simultaneously helps the organization to achieve a state of zero loss due to equipment down times and a condition of zero defect and zero accident is ensured.
• Concept of small group activity is implemented in this pillar. Small cross functional teams are formed to bring-in improvements in the system. The use of cross-functional/ multi disciplinary teams are very important so as to have a large and varied number of employees are engaged and they are able to share different set of experiences and viewpoints on a single table.

Fig2. Concept explanation of small group activities with cross functional teams


• The priority or recurring issues related to equipment's are identified and the improvement goals are set during the Kaizen Event A company may create and deploy a formal structure for Kaizen event. A Kaizen event may be theme based also depending upon the organisational focus and priorities. During Kaizen events, the participants may decide a base line or consider current status as base line so that the status of after improvement condition can be compared. 
• The teams needs to be trained on the concepts of Kaizen, root cause analysis and implementing solution and ensuring the solutions are sustainable through standardisation of process,  so that the organisation is able to build-up a big employee-base who are conversant with the right tools for solving problems.

Table  1: An example of management index, activity result index and activity index for Kobetsu-Kaizen

2. Jishu- Hozen  i.e. autonomous maintenance : Jishu Hozen or autonomous maintenance is a concept that eliminates the boundaries of traditional distinction in terms of role of machine operators and shop floor maintenance personnel's. Traditional belief system was that the machine operators role is only to take care of the production through a machine or equipment and checking the machine health and keeping it ready for regular production is the responsibility of the maintenance personnel. But Jishu- Hozen has not only over ruled the idea but also has changed over the mind set from "I operate, you maintain", to "I operate, I own and I maintain". 

The Operator is the best person to judge the machine health (from abnormal noise or vibration, or by analysing the change in output, electrical fluctuation and/or abnormal sensor functioning etc.), and to take care of it, as he gives most of the time to the particular machine or equipment. Under JH pillar, a machine operator does, " Self-initiated maintenance of the machine " concentrating on basic cleaning of the machine parts, lubricating and oiling the parts that rub during operation, tightening of nuts and bolts, checking oil level/ temperature level or other important parameters , inspecting and diagnosing for potential problems and taking relevant actions that increases the productive life of machines or equipment.

Jishu Hozen pillar brings with it following advantages:

Fig.3. Benefits of Jishu-Hozen

• It gives the operator a greater sense of ownership of their equipment and in most of the cases sense of ownership turns in to sense of responsibility. The operator becomes more responsible and concerned about the condition of the machine/ equipment, with which they work on daily basis. 
• The operators knowledge about the equipment/ machine increases and they gain a general understanding of the working of the machine/ equipment, and thus helps in achieving the target of multi-skilling at organization level. The operator also learns 7 steps of Jishu-Hozen (to know more on 7 steps of JH Please click on the link: Link under preparation), that helps to up-keep the performance level of the machine and achieving the target of zero down time.
• Machine/equipment continues to perform at its optimal level because the cleaning and lubrication and all other activities related to JH check sheet is taken care by the operator on regular basis.
• Identification of the emergent issues are done way before they can go out of control leading to major breakdown of equipment.
• As the above mentioned benefits starts getting realized, after implementation of Jishu-Hozen in the shop-floor the maintenance staff on the other hand, gets more time to concentrate on major critical issues which requires special technical ability or skill. This also helps them to focus on the scheduled or planned maintenance activities of the plant which means uninterrupted production (breakdown free) as per schedule is also achieved.

Table 2. An example of management index, activity result index and activity index for Jishu-Hozen

3. Kaikaku Hozen (KH) i.e. planned maintenance:  Kaikaku Hozen or planned maintenance is basically a planned scheduling of maintenance activities based on the observed behaviour of the machines/ equipment's such as machine failure rate, age of the machine and past trends of failures of critical spare parts. Planned maintenance is always carried out on a pre-intimated schedule. The only support form production function needed is that they should have prepared adequate inventory to allow the planned maintenance to be carried out in a routine. 

By scheduling planned maintenance activities scientifically (i.e. fact based, which means considering past data, Meantime between failures, spare replacement schedule given by machine manufacturers or by developing base lines considering past failures), a series of breakdowns can be broken and thus contribution to machine reliability and ensuring longer service life of the machines. These activities always improve the machine availability rate and supports in continuing uninterrupted production.

Fig.4. Benefits of Planned Maintenance

There are many benefits of taking planned maintenance approach over the traditional reactive approach:

• This approach of scheduling planned maintenance activities, significantly reduces the unplanned stoppages 
• This enables production team to continue with production processes as they are already intimated and updated on exactly at what time maintenance activities are scheduled. At the same time, it enables maintenance team to plan maintenance activities at times when machine/ equipment is not scheduled for production.
• Reduces inventory through better control over planned purchase of wear-prone and failure-prone critical parts and and there by reducing inventory carrying cost.


• Helps to establish simultaneous control on purchase of costly critical parts.

Table 3. An example of management index, activity result index, activity index for Kaikaku-Hozen.

4. Hinshitsu Hozen (HH) i.e. quality maintenance: Hinshitsu Hozen or quality maintenance pillar is all about ensuring continuous production of defect free products by detecting and preventing the errors during ongoing production process itself. It calls for establishing higher levels of error detection and error prevention mechanisms and thus prevents defect from moving down the value chain and intern leading to reduction of rework and the cost associated to it. 

 To achieve the goal of zero defect, an organisation may establish higher levels of monitoring and maintaining mechanism to critically control process parameters and at the same time taking measures like :  

• Adherence monitoring to optimum process parameters during set-up approval and even during running condition by usage of sensor and visual display or interactive indicative mechanism
• Monitoring the CPK (Process capability index) values to have a monitoring whether the process is capable to continue to manufacture. This helps in predicting the possible quality defects by reviewing changes in measured value ( may be plotted on a run chart or X-bar R Chart). This also gives a prediction of capability and stability of the process. 
• Deterioration restoration of the running machine / equipment within time-line 
• Ensuring periodic calibration of measuring and inspection instruments. 
• Implementing automatic monitoring mechanisms like JIDOKA, ANDON system to detect and report abnormal conditions and thereby reducing operator / manual dependency form detection process.
• Imbibing the culture of problem solving among the work-force through  training and development so that they are able to get in to the habit  of finding root cause instead of rushing directly to the solution that are not permanent or sustainable in nature. Training of systematic problem solving, 7QC Tools and New 7 Management (known as N7 tools) etc., may be very helpful in this regard.

Fig.5. Structured Problem Solving Approach used for Quality Issues

Hinshitsu Hozen i.e. quality maintenance offers a lot of advantage to an organisation which practices it systematically. Some of the benefits are as below : 

• Systematic solution to chronic and sporadic quality issues with permanent and sustainable countermeasures brings down the rejection and rework cost and helps in enhancing customer satisfaction.
• Cost of poor quality, warranty failures reduces and increases the first time right quantity.
• Defect detection mechanisms stops most of the defects and errors moving down through the value stream resulting in bringing down the efforts in rework and correction.

Table 4. An example of management index, activity result index and activity index for Hinshitsu-Hozen

5. Early equipment maintenance or development management :  The pillar uses the experience and learnings gathered from previous maintenance improvement activities and uses them during the new machine purchase and installation and helps in making sure that the new purchased machinery /equipment reaches its optimal performance much early than usual. Selection process  of machine / equipment is highly important to achieve the status of zero break down, zero accidents and zero defects. Maintenance prevention for a machine, if achieved, it directly impacts the life-cycle cost or running cost of the machine from the very initial stage (i.e. from the day of commissioning). It not only reduces the vertical start-up time (the time taken from conceptualisation of the machine to complete installation and commissioning i.e till handing over to production) but also ensures long term machine reliability and this approach has a positive impact on the profitability of the company as maintenance costs are drastically lowered. Maintenance process of the new machine also becomes simpler and robust because of multiple reviews and employee involvements prior to installations. 

Below factors needs to be considered during early equipment maintenance: 

• Ease of cleaning, lubrication and inspection of the machine /equipment
• Accessibility of the parts of the machine/ equipment
• Ease of operation of the machine from the ergonomic aspects of the machine e.g. the machine has ergonomic placing of control points in such a way that they are comfortable to be used by the operator.
• Ease of change-over (e.g. easy adjustments for model change or varied dimensions) from the perspective of clamping, de-clamping, quick adjustments and easy setting change etc.
• Ease of understanding and reacting to the feedback mechanisms, visual or sound indicators.
• Adequacy of safety features such as light curtains, auto stoppage mechanisms and  safety sensor systems  etc.

In most of the cases, during machine purchase, above mentioned points are taken care and looked at, but if there are some bugs observed during trial run, the errors must get resolved before complete installation or commissioning.

Fig. 6. Benefits of Early Equipment Maintenance or Development Management 

Apart from purchasing of new machine / equipment development management pillar also talks about new product development and ensuring its its performance and reliability. In case of new product development management, it is essential to have a strong product pipeline, product development standard plan with stage wise validation at critical stages, change point management, strategies to achieve cost targets. Monitoring the involvement of multidisciplinary team, monitoring the effectiveness of development plan effectiveness in terms of achievement of stage wise targets and cost targets is also a part and parcel of development management. Thus "Development Management " pillar calls for a complete product development ecosystem to function in a multidisciplinary approach. 

6. Safety, Health and Environment : The target of this TPM pillar is to provide a safe, risk & hazard free work environment to the operators and all the conditions that has the potential to harm their well being is eliminated. Zero accident is the to most priority and that has to be achieved by -

• Awareness building and emphasising on the safe work practices with in the shop floor. 
• Introducing "Built-in safety mechanisms" in the equipment / machines and and regularly checking their performance. 
• Periodic checking and testing of the safety buzzers, alarms, other safety equipment's such as fire extinguishers, hoses, nozzles  etc.
• Establishing the process of regular identification of potential hazards, such as fire load calculations, verification of safety exits, conducting safety audits, mock drills etc. and ensuring immediate closure of the potentials of improvements identified.
• Practising of generating engineering solutions and establishing POKAYOKES for preventing potentials of accidents. 
• Registering and monitoring unsafe conditions, unsafe acts and near-miss cases along with all major and minor accidents and closing all potential hazards. 
• Awareness building about personal safety, health and hygiene, usage of personal protective equipment's (PPE's), LOTO ( lock out tag out ) systems, usage of fire fighting equipment, first aid treatments and other relevant topics through regular training. Kaiken Yochi Training ( to understand the details plz click on the link : Link Under Preparation) for hazard identification and closure may also be added to the list of training programs. 100 % employees must be covered under the safety awareness training programs.
• Safety KAIZEN's  must be appreciated and practised in the organization.
• Ensuring the availability of important safety items, such as Medical Kits, First Aid Boxes, Specific medicines, fire extinguishers of required category etc. 
• Adherence level to the legal requirements must be periodically verified with in the organization.

Fig. 7. Safe work practices

Apart from Safety, the health aspect of all the employees are also given priority in TPM, in order to ensure higher employee productivity, higher morale and healthier association with the organization. In this regard the organization may conduct - 

• Periodic health assessment of all the employees, 
• Periodic assessment of the working conditions.
• Ergonomic study and closure potential health hazards,
• Health and hygiene audits and closure of the observed points
• Adherence verification to the government, legal and statutory norms

From environment perspective a TPM practicing organization must be very much responsible. Apart form having a good , healthy and engaging work environment, a TPM practicing organization may be practicing some special environment refinement practices such as   -

• Adherence to the local environmental norms e.g. precipitation level monitoring, waste disposal and waste water treatment etc. 
• May practice creating a green zone around the manufacturing set-up
• May adopt environment friendly practices e.g. Ground water (Rain) harvesting
• May practice legal body certification e.g. pollution control certificates etc. 

A cross functional team may be formed for conduction of audits and assessments and special purpose teams may be formed to arrange closure of the potential risks and hazards and their periodic verification. 

Table 5. An example of management index, activity result index and activity index for Safety, Health and Environment Pillar of TPM

7. Education and Training (E&T) : Education and training is one of the most important aspect of TPM . It is always very important to know the machine, equipment and processes thoroughly, specially when an organization is a TPM practicing organization. 

Continuous education and training is essential to raise the skill level and awareness of the operators and supervisors, to refresh, reinforce and update their knowledge to keep pace with the changing technology.

Training requirement identification and skill gap verification may be some of the basic tools that gives a primary idea of skill and learning gaps. The knowledge gap identification must be having a futuristic and strategy guided view point.  For each of the employee, there should be a training record keeping and training effectiveness verification methodology. Train the trainer programs may also be organized to create a pool of internal trainers for the organization. Subject matter experts may also be used to percolate and share knowledge cross-functionally based upon priority and need.

Fig.8 . Importance of Education and Training Pillar

Different training programs may be designed to cater to the grade wise and function wise training requirements. Some example are given below -

• The production operators may be trained on maintenance skill so that they become self sufficient for tackling regular machine problems. Even they may be trained to a level where they are able to carryout basic maintenance activities, Jishu-Hozen activities etc for which they were earlier dependent on maintenance team.
• Employees may be trained on structured problem solving techniques, Kaizens, 7 QC tools and 7 Management tools etc to build a culture of problem solving with in the organization. 
• The maintenance personnels may be taught on  higher level skills such as preventive maintenance, POKAYOKE and other analytical skills, which will help them to become proactive problem solvers. 
• Managerial cadre employees may be trained to become competent mentors to their juniors as well as they can become trainers and coaches. 

To have a successful "Total Productive Maintenance", concept deployment the education and training pillar must be given a very high level of importance.

Table  6. An example of management index, activity result index and activity index for Education and Training pillar.

8. Office TPM :  Maximizing the overall performance of the organization by spreading the TPM principles to the administrative and office functions is the objective of Office TPM Pillar. The functions apart form production may include Planning, Finance, Accounts, Administration, Engineering, Labs and testing centers, Material procurement and even Sales and services. In this way 100% employee engagement is achieved and all the functions starts speaking a common language. The tools of TPM that can be incorporated are 5S (to Know more click on the link: Link under preparation), KANBAN (to Know more click on the link: Link under preparation), Lean (to Know more click on the link: Link under preparation), Inventory Management (to Know more click on the link: Link under preparation) etc. 

As these are all mainly are supportive functions, they need to understand that practicing the TPM principles (as mentioned above) will make their operations easy and at the same time would enable them to provide efficient services to the main value creating processes which are their internal customers. Spreading the TPM practices into other functions will remove the silo mindset and encourage a the culture of horizontal cooperation among the workforce.

Fig.9. Benefits of practicing Office TPM 

Implementation of TPM principles have shown direct impact on many aspects such as 5S of the offices, reduction of order processing time, on time payment processing, scheduling, development lead time, FIFO in the material and order processing, and inventory management etc. which has direct impact on the profitability of the organisation.

Table 7. An example of management index, activity result index and activity index for  Office-TPM pillar

Thus if you look at the Total Productive Maintenance" Pillars, individually each has its own role, and each needs a stand alone distinct strategy to be implemented, but as an organisation, the aim should be to implement each of the pillar to its maximum extent, following the sequence as detailed in my last blog - "12 steps of TPM Implementation Program" so as to receive the maximum benefits of TPM Implementation program.

To conclude, a complete overview of 8 pillars of TPM is summarized below to give you a quick and clear glimpse: 

                           Fig. 8. A quick overview of the 8 pillars , details of the pillar and how the pillars helps the purpose of TPM

Hope you will like this blog. I appreciate the humble support of one of my friend Mr. Akash Aggarwal, who has supported me in preparing the photographs for this blog. In my next blog I will discuss on the 7 Steps of JH (Link:  Under preparation). Thank you very much for your support. Kindly drop your feed backs and suggestions in the comment section below. 

... To be continued!