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Albert H.C. Tsang: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
P.K. Chan: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Introduction
Nakajima (1988) states that TPM is a proactive and cost-effective approach to equipment maintenance which is widely adopted in Japanese industries with successful results. Moreover, he reports that many companies in North America and South-East Asia are also attracted to the approach. The successful implementation of TPM depends on a number of factors, such as a culture of mutual trust, operators agreeable to providing basic care to their machines, and maintenance personnel trained in management and people skills. These factors are not commonly found in factories located in mainland China. This paper presents a case study of introducing TPM in such an environment which is not conducive to the new approach to maintenance.
The first part of this paper reviews the concept of TPM and discusses the work values in mainland China. This provides the backdrop for the change initiative of implementing TPM in the highly automated factory covered in the case study. In the second part, a three-phase programme for TPM implementation is introduced. The steps involved are also mapped to the 12-step procedure for TPM development proposed by Nakajima (1988). Finally, there is a discussion on the lessons learned so far from the ongoing development in the case study.
Why TPM?
Production systems have undergone major changes in recent years. Market forces are demanding more emphasis on customization, quick delivery and superb quality (Raouf and Ben-Daya, 1995). In response to these requirements, manufacturers are opting for using more high-tech equipment as well as adopting non-traditional production management techniques such as just-in-time (JIT) production and material requirements planning (MRP) that focus on minimizing set-up time and reducing inventory level. The success of these efforts relies on maintenance to optimize equipment capability and availability. The traditional approach to maintenance is no longer adequate as maintenance costs in such situations are as high as 15 to 40 per cent of total production costs (Wireman, 1990).
TPM, which is built on the preventive maintenance concept imported from the USA, was initiated in Japan in 1969 (Hall, 1990). It is a people-oriented approach that has been proved to be effective for optimizing...