RCM (Reliability Centered Maintenance) vs TPM (Total productive maintenance)

By T.N.S.Raghavan

RCM is strong in determining what maintenance to do, while TPM is allabout improving rather than merely maintaining your processes

•      TPM is a company-wide team-based effort to build quality into equipment and to improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)

•      TPM has basically 3 goals - Zero Product Defects, Zero Equipment Unplanned Failures and Zero Accidents.

•      TPM identifies the 7 losses (muda), namely set-up and initial adjustment time, equipment breakdown time, idling and minor losses, speed (cycle time) losses, start-up quality losses, and in process quality losses, and then works systematically to eliminate them by making improvements (kaizen). 8.3

•      TPM has 8 pillars of activity, each being set to achieve a “zero” target. These 8 pillars are the following: focussed improvement (Kobetsu Kaizen); autonomous maintenance (JishuHozen); planned maintenance; training and education; early-phase management; quality maintenance (HinshitsuHozen); office TPM; and safety, health, and environment. Few organisation also add Pillars according to their Work Place like: Tools Management; Information Technology & more.

•      Focussed improvement (Kobetsu Kaizen) - Continuously even small steps of improvement.

•      Planned Maintenance - It focusses on Increasing Availability of Equipments & reducing Breakdown of Machines.

•      Initial Control - To establish the system to launch the production of new product &new equipment in a minimum run up time.

•      Education & Training - Formation of Autonomous workers who have skill & technique for autonomous maintenance.

•      Autonomous Maintenance (JishuHozen) - It means "Maintaining one's equipment by oneself". There are 7 Steps in & Activities of JishuHozen.

•      Quality Maintenance (HinshitsuHozen) - Quality Maintenance is establishment of machine conditions that will not allow the occurrence of defects & control of such conditions is required to sustain Zero Defect.

•      Office TPM - To make an efficient working office that eliminate losses.

•      Safety, Hygiene & Environment - The main role of SHE (Safety, Hygiene & Environment) is to create Safe & healthy work place where accidents do not occur, uncover & improve hazardous areas & do activities that preserve environment.

•      The Base for the TPM Activity is 5S; Seiri (Sorting out the required or not required items); Seition (Systematic Arrangement of the required items); Seiso (Cleaniness); Seiketsu (Standardisation); Shitsuke (Self Discipline).

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)

    RCM was first conceived in the early 1960’s by the airline industry. It is a technique for reviewing equipment failures and for determining the right maintenance tasks

•      RCM ensures that all performed maintenance is cost effective

•      RCM contradicts the traditional precepts that the reliability of equipment is directly related to operating age

•      RCM focuses on preserving the functions of equipment, not on preserving the equipment itself

Example of RCM at work:

•      In 2005, The City of Montreal’s Wastewater Treatment Plant applied RCM to analyze their screen systems. Because of this analysis, they were able to meet their operating targets, while claiming to achieve an initial annual savings of $100,000. The analysis also identified assets that were excessively maintained. Correcting these inefficiencies contributed to a more effective use of the maintenance budget.Analysis of the bull screens revealed a serious level of degradation. The screens required frequent rectification for optimum level of operational health.  Analysis of the total system showed that some bull screens were used more often than others. The solution was to change the frequency of maintenance tasks from straight calendar-based frequencies to frequencies based on the hours of operation of each screen and the screen system’s current condition. This linked maintenance easily and effectively to the individual requirements of each screen. Some of the maintenance cost savings were realized by reducing unnecessary maintenance on screens that did not need it. Standardization of visual inspections means that operator knowledge is effectively captured and can   easily shared, both with maintenance and with other operators. Analysis of the maintenance procedures revealed that some tools and safety devices were missing or that operators were not aware of them.

RCM implementation:

•      Operationsidentifies the functions and performance standards

•      Maintenanceidentifies the types of failures, defines the most appropriate condition monitoring techniques,builds a program

•      Maintenance and operationscollaborate on the consequences of identified failures,carry out the program