Framework for total productive maintenance for an SME

Abstract

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a worldwide maintenance program for plant equipment and machinery. It is a proactive maintenance that optimizes Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to get rid of the six (6) big losses. The research was inspired by observations made over a six (6) months period at Company X, a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME). Observations made were that the SME produced a lot of defective items, some requiring reworks, the SME had poor maintenance plans, poor relationship between departments, resulting in low morale of workers, frequent breakdowns of machines, as well as low production rate. The main objective of the research was to design a framework that would identify and address the aforementioned problems, resulting in an optimized OEE rate. The research data was obtained through various methodologies, including observation, questionnaire as well as interviews among the company employees -technicians, operators, and maintenance engineers. The data was analysed using Microsoft excel performance dashboards as well as TPM templates. Based on the findings, a framework was designed and developed that sought to address the aforementioned problems at the company. The study improved the OEE of machines and processes through the implementation of TPM approach at Company X.

Preventive Maintenance: Some Operations and Technology Related Practices at a Malaysian Oil and Gas Firm

“…Meanwhile, Preventive Maintenance (PM) approach is the periodic task performed on the equipment/system to prevent failure [24}, Li & Zhang [56]. Singh [57] and Gwangwava et al, [58], stated that PM regarded as planned or scheduled maintenance activity that is fundamental in maintenance policy of any firm. PM strategies were proposed in the 1940s that requires engineers to perform certain maintenance action to reduce the probability of system failure or avoided any operation shutdown totally [59,60].…”