Intelligent Manufacturing € January € 1996 € Vol. 2 € No. 1

Manufacturer's Library

Implementing TPM: The North American Experience, by Charles J. Robinson and Andrew P. Ginder, Productivity Press, 250 pages, $45, ISBN 1-56327-087-0

Total productive maintenance (TPM) has emerged as an effective strategy for increasing industrial competitiveness in today's worldwide economy. However, some U.S. firms have met with only partial success in implementing a TPM program. This book discusses how TPM fits into an overall manufacturing improvement strategy for North American companies.

The book provides details on implementation planning and deployment based on the authors' own experiences in accommodating TPM to the distinctive needs of North American plants. It offers an approach to TPM planning and deployment that modifies and builds on the 12-step process advocated by the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance. Key chapters review overall deployment steps, methods for calculating equipment effectiveness in different settings, and seven autonomous maintenance steps. Of special interest are chapters on implementing TPM in union environments and in conjunction with other initiatives, such as continuous flow manufacturing.

This book offers a real-world perspective on what works and what doesn't. The authors' goal is "to help companies analyze the value of TPM as a strategy for achieving excellence in their field."

Cycle Time Management: The Fast Track to Time-Based Productivity Improvement, by Patrick Northey and Nigel Southway, Productivity Press, 200 pages, $30, ISBN 1-56327-015-3

As much as 90% of the operational activities in a traditional plant can be nonessential or pure waste. This book presents an exact methodology for eliminating most, if not all, of this waste within 24 to 30 months. Written by the developers of the Cycle Time Management (CTM) plan, this book presents the means to measure productivity in terms of time instead of revenue or people.

By reducing cycle time -- the time from initial product concept to the first satisfied customer -- a manufacturer can increase output of saleable product while reducing inventories and required working capital. CTM is a cohesive management strategy that integrates just-in-time (JIT) production, computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) and total quality control (TQC).

This book explains how plant layout, changeover, maintenance, order entry, purchasing, engineering and distribution contribute to cycle time reduction.

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