Assessing alignment of maintenance practices to total productive maintenance best practice: a case study within a South African conglomerate
Date
2017
Authors
Mabwe, Emmanuel
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Abstract
In today’s competitive world, a good maintenance approach is important for companies to remain
competitive and control operational costs. There are various maintenance methods that can be
applied in any organization, singly or combined, and such an approach must lead to increased
availability, reliability and operability of equipment at an acceptable cost. World Class
Manufacturing (WCM) has become a buzz phrase across the whole manufacturing world. Total
Productive Maintenance (TPM) is the cornerstone for WCM, and an integral part of any
manufacturing enterprise that aspires to be world class.
The purpose of the research was to carry out an assessment of alignment of maintenance practices
to TPM best practice within a South African Conglomerate. The study identified current
maintenance practices, challenges faced, and gaps that required improvement. It also assessed the
overall alignment of such practices to full TPM implementation. A thorough investigation of
current maintenance practices was done and a clear picture was established. These practices were
then compared with the ideal requirements for best TPM practice and implementation. Data for
the research was obtained through interviews, performance measures from reports and a
confidential on line survey.
Poor industrial relations, insufficient records keeping and aged equipment without any manuals all
rendered it difficult to implement TPM. The results revealed that the conglomerate was in the
process of implementing a maintenance program however the maintenance practices in place were
not fully aligned to the requirements of TPM.
Description
A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree in Master of Science in Engineering to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017
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Citation
Mabwe, Emmanuel (2017) Assessing alignment of current maintenance practices to total productive maintenance (TPM) best practice : a case study within a South African conglomerate, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, http://hdl.handle.net/10539/23623