A fundamental component of world-class manufacturing (WCM) is that of total
productive maintenance (TPM), linked to both total quality management (TQM
) and the concepts of continuous-flow manufacturing which are embedded in c
ellular manufacturing.
An investigation was conducted in collaboration with a first tier automotiv
e component supplier to determine the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
of a semi-automated assembly cell. The big losses associated with equipmen
t effectiveness were also identified.
The production output of the cell over the observed period was 26 515. This
represents 97% good components, 0.33% scrap and 2.67% rework. The number o
f stoppages recorded was 156, where the 10 most common causes were identifi
ed. The OEE was 62% and the six big losses represent 38% loss of the produc
tive time.
Based on the findings, it was recommended that a pilot project to be conduc
ted to implement a TPM programme for the cell and expand it further to the
other cells in the factory. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reser
ved.