Page 84 - Facility Management (All Chapter)

TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE

7.5 AUTONOMOUS MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Operators learn the maintenance skills they need through a seven-step
program called autonomous maintenance. The words autonomous means
“independent”. Autonomous Maintenance (AM), called as Jitshu Hosen in
Japanese. The success of TPM, to a large extent, depends upon the success
of AM.

The three main objectives of AM are: (1) it establishes an orderly shop floor
where any departure from normal conditions can be identified immediately, (2)
it fosters the development of operators as knowledgeable workers since most
of the routine maintenance tasks are carried out by the operators themselves
with assistance from maintenance department, and (3) it brings/maintains the
equipment in the “near new” condition.

Steps 1, 2, and 3 of autonomous maintenance are activities to keep the state
of the equipment from deteriorating. This involves re-establishing basic
equipment conditions for proper operation through regular cleaning, lubrication,
and tightening bolts and screws. Also involved are activities to control factors
that accelerate deterioration, such as contamination by fluids, chips, and dust,
and structures that make it hard to clean, inspect, or lubricate. These routine
maintenance and improvement activities are ongoing and are the foundation for
all the later steps of autonomous maintenance.

Step 4 and 5 add general inspection standards that complement the cleaning
an lubrication standards set up during the first three steps. In step 4 we learn
more about equipment subsystems through general inspection training. We
also implement visual controls to improve equipment inspection procedures. In
step 5 we review and streamline inspection. Thus, we move from preventing
deterioration to measuring or monitoring deterioration, and continue to make
maintenance activities more efficient.
The first five steps of autonomous maintenance focus on the ‘hard”, mechanical
aspects of equipment maintenance. In step 6 we look beyond equipment to the
entire work area and production process, straightening and organizing
materials and tools, standardizing, and visually managing all work activities.
Step 7 is the beginning of truly autonomous activities. This is the stage where
TPM really becomes business as usual. Table 7.2 summarizes the seven steps
of AM.

BPLK 84 DMQ 40392