Introduction: During the deployment of TPM activities at INX International Ink Co., I served as the corporate pillar leader for Autonomous Maintenance. We believed we would achieve greater consistency in TPM deployment by assigning a high-level individual as the pillar leader for each of the eight pillars. Additionally, we requested each plant to appoint a plant pillar coordinator for every TPM pillar.  One of the first pillars to be deployed was autonomous maintenance, and as vice president of manufacturing, I found the fit to be excellent.  During our startup, we engaged consultants from Japan and experts from our parent company, who had already earned the Continuous Award for TPM Excellence and later the Advanced Special Award for TPM Achievement.  They did an excellent job; however, we needed to rely on internal translators throughout all meetings and sessions. Initially, while they were outstanding teachers and imparted valuable knowledge, the process of working through translators was challenging and slow. In my collaboration with my Sensei to grasp the AM Pillar, he recommended I obtain the book “Autonomous Maintenance in Seven Steps. " The book is written in clear English and covers virtually all the key elements of AM. It discusses the history of TPM, explains why many efforts to introduce AM fail, and stresses the importance of following a step-by-step implementation.

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In the introduction, the author outlines the development of the 7-step method.  In the late 1970s, a step-by-step small group activity method was developed. In 1981, a prototype of the seven-step program to implement an operator’s routine maintenance system on the shopfloor was developed and produced significant benefits.  This new method proved very successful, improved operating conditions in existing plants, and increased employees’ knowledge and skills. According to the authoriTPM concepts have been expanding continuously with the accumulation of wisdom created on the shop floor.  TPM, since the late 1980s, has been rapidly recognized by a growing number of companies as a highly effective methodology for dealing with matters of not only plant maintenance but also plant engineering and product design. Today's TPM may be viewed more aptly as an abbreviation for Total Production Management rather than for Total Productive Maintenance.” 

 

The 7 Steps of Autonomous Maintenance

1. Step 1: Initial Cleaning (Inspection)

2. Step 2: Countermeasures to Sources of Contamination

3. Step 3: Cleaning and Lubricating Standards

4. Step 4: Overall Inspection

5. Step 5: Autonomous Maintenance Standards

6. Step 6: Process Quality Assurance

7. Step 7: Autonomous Supervision

 

In Chapter 1, the author provides a comprehensive understanding of how TPM works and explains that losses on the shop floor can stem from issues in nearly any department beyond production.  He identifies the sources of these losses and outlines various reasons for their occurrence. He details the different types of losses, their potential impact on the production floor, and the efficiency of the manufacturing equipment. 

 

In Chapter 2, the author discusses essential concepts of total productive maintenance (TPM).  He presents an informative diagram illustrating the seven steps of autonomous maintenance. He emphasizes the significance of establishing a strong bond and collaboration among Maintenance staff, Engineering, and Production operators.

 

In chapter 3, the author notes that the random countermeasures taken by untrained operators can result in poor outcomes.  Instead, it is important to focus systematically and sequentially on five key countermeasures. For each of these, he provides a strong example of the correct and incorrect approaches.

1. Establish the basic equipment conditions, including cleaning, lubrication, and tightening.

2. Adhere to the equipment usage conditions such as gauges, speed, filters, sensors, lubes, and temperature settings.

3. Restore deteriorated parts, as many failures may stem from incorrect usage conditions.

4. 4. Correct design weaknesses by cleaning to inspect, inspecting to detect, and detecting to correct, instead of making chaotic improvements.

5. 5. Enhance operating and maintenance skills, emphasizing the importance of systematic hands-on training in the appropriate sequence.  

 

The author effectively explains why many activities, such as Kaizen events and team improvements, fail in numerous companies. He demonstrates how the systematic TPM approach, involving step-by-step activities by trained operators with support from maintenance and engineering, ensures success for the Autonomous Maintenance pillar. Additionally, he provides real-world examples illustrating how traditional quality improvement methods can yield poor long-term results.

 

He then describes the allocation of resources among Maintenance, Operators, and Engineering, highlighting the significance of relationships and direct collaboration among these departments. The author employs effective tables, diagrams, and matrices to illustrate relationships and metrics for understanding the key points.

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Chapter 4 introduces the seven steps of autonomous maintenance and explains the strategy behind each step. In the first three chapters of this book, it discusses the inter-relationships among operators, maintenance staff, and engineering. As we progress into chapter 4, we begin to see the guidance information and details about what needs to be accomplished in each of the seven steps. 

 

TABLE 4.1, titled “Summary of Autonomous Maintenance Program,” provides a comprehensive summary of all seven steps, outlining each step, major activities, aims from the equipment perspective, aims from the human perspective, and the role of managers in supporting each activity.   Keep in mind that these seven steps are not intended to be completed in a short period. Typically, it takes at least 3-4 years for a plant to finish step 4 of the seven steps.  When applying for the JIPM TPM award, it specifically requires that step 4 activities be completed before the application for the award. Chapter 4 also highlights one of the most powerful and simple tools of AM: CAPD. While the same terminology from Deming’s Cycle—Plan (P), Do (D), Check (C), and Act (A)—is used to enhance understanding of the CAPD cycle in TPM, this CAPD is an extremely effective and exciting tool for operators.

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Section 4.3 The author highlights the significance of front-line managers, engineers, and maintenance personnel as active participants in the initial AM team. This pilot team aims to set an example and ensure that managers and engineers comprehend the challenges operators will encounter during AM deployment.

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To ensure a complete understanding of what each step requires, shop floor managers, engineers, and maintenance staff must experience it firsthand before asking any employees to begin AM activities. As the author states, “Unless they share common experiences with operators and are familiar with actual shop floor conditions, they can never understand how unreasonable or unfeasible the imposed rules and requests are.”

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Also introduced in Chapter 4 is the concept of a formal activity audit.  This audit is based on planned achievements and is typically conducted first by the team members at the end of each step in an area.  If the team feels they have successfully passed the audit for that step, they can then ask a member of the pilot team (managers, maintenance personnel, or engineers) to conduct the formal audit.  The audit must be documented in writing and include both positive and negative feedback for the operators, not just a numerical score.  To enhance the rate of learning in the shop, it is advisable to include members of future AM teams in the audit process and final meetings to review the results and feedback.  It is essential to remember that rules must be established by those who are expected to follow them; this is the simplest and most effective way to ensure compliance. Engineers and managers should not simply create the rules and hand them to the operators. Imposing new rules on operators, in addition to their regular workload,  will often lead to quick system failure, with engineers blaming operators for that failure.

 

Operators must receive the appropriate hands-on training during each phase of every step..

• Introductory education

• Stepwise education

• Inspection Education

• Maintenance skill training

• Routine education

• Any other required educational subjects such as safety, quality, operation, and changeover

• Trained operators should be trained to teach other operators with one-point lessons.

 

Other activities that help to ensure the learning and growth of AM teams are discussed including

• Pilot-facilitated problem-solving groups

• Team members create plans with a timeline, and troubleshoot if deadlines are missed.

• Allocating equipment by AM Group

• Encouragement of team progress and success

  • TPM Newsletter

  • Team presentations to others and managers in conference-type meetings 1-2 times per year.

  • Executive audits by upper management ie CEO, COO, etc. several times per year.

  • Gemba walks by visitors and managers to ask AM team members to show their progress.

  • Internal awards for good projects or solutions or key learning events.

  • Suggestions system.

  • Abnormality tagging systems.

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In  Chapter 5, the author discusses the activities, tools, and rationale needed to complete each step of the 7-step method for Autonomous Maintenance.  He emphasizes the importance for operators in the AM group to recognize that cleaning involves inspection. The chapter concludes with an excellent example of the Step 1 audit sheet, which should be used by both the team and the managers to assess the team's understanding and proper execution of the Step 1 (Cleaning and Inspecting) activities.hapters 5 through 11 cover the activities of AM Steps 1 through 7

1. Step 1: Initial Cleaning (Inspection)

2. Step 2: Countermeasures to Sources of Contamination

3. Step 3: Cleaning and Lubricating Standards

4. Step 4: Overall Inspection

5. Step 5: Autonomous Maintenance Standards

6. Step 6: Process Quality Assurance

7. Step 7: Autonomous Supervision

 

For each step, the author defines its aim from the Equipment Perspective and then explains the aims from the Human perspective. Each step includes a description of the key actions and deployment activities, followed by a detailed AM step audit diagnosis listing to verify that the teams have understood it correctly. Every team must utilize the same audit questionnaire to assess their readiness, which is then forwarded to the supervisors for double-checking and scoring their progress.  If both the team and the shop floor managers agree, the team can proceed to the next step; if not, the team must use the detailed feedback as an action list to complete before repeating the audit process for that step.  Each chapter is rich with useful tools, tables, drawings, and examples to effectively convey important information to the reader.

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In Chapter 12, the author discusses various approaches to autonomous maintenance in manual work areas, including assembly, inspection, and material handling. The book concludes with six pages of glossary terms, an index, and a list of five reference books that support the TPM activities as defined by the JIPM.