Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) teams face the ongoing challenge of identifying and reducing losses that affect equipment efficiency and production output. One powerful tool to support this effort is the stratified transition chart. This chart helps teams break down complex loss data into clear categories, making it easier to spot the largest contributors to downtime and inefficiency. By tracking these losses over time, TPM teams can focus their improvement efforts where t

Manufacturing and production environments rely heavily on metrics to measure performance and identify areas for improvement. Two key metrics often discussed are Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY) and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). While both aim to improve operational efficiency, they focus on different aspects of production and provide unique insights. Understanding the differences between RTY and OEE can help manufacturers choose the right tool for their specific needs a

When you’re steering a manufacturing operation, knowing exactly how your processes perform is crucial. You want to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and boost quality. But how do you measure these improvements? That’s where essential manufacturing KPIs come into play. These key performance indicators help you track progress, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions that drive your plant toward excellence. Let’s dive into the most important KPIs you should focus on to

When we first started deploying TPM in pursuit of the JIPM TPM Excellence Award, our Sensei introduced us to a new improvement route called the “QC Story.” This tool was not new, but it was unknown to any of our personnel in the USA. Prior to this, we used various improvement routes, including: · A3 Thinking → Visual management + leadership alignment · DMAIC (Six Sigma) → Statistical rigor, variation reduction · PDCA Cycle → Foundational iterative lea

Teams collaborating on QC Story problem-solving in a manufacturing environment Efficiency in manufacturing and production environments depends heavily on how well teams identify problems, solve them, and share solutions across different departments or sites. The Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM) Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) framework offers powerful tools to support this process. Among these, the QC Story and Horizontal Deployment stand out for their ability t

TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) focuses on identifying losses in the factory. “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place,” George Bernard Shaw. Suggestions are an extremely effective way to uncover hidden losses in your factory. But if they are not 100% reviewed, acknowledged, and acted upon, we are not only losing the great ideas but also killing the goose that laid the golden egg, as the desire to come up with new suggestions