Autonomous maintenance

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Autonomous maintenance is one of the many tools used during implementation of Total Productive Maintenance and Lean Production in the company. Concept of autonomous maintenance arose from kaizen and 5S principles and its main purpose it to reduce production problems connected with faulty machines, bad maintenance, breakdowns, equipment problems, decrease of equipment effectiveness, etc. It involves training of all production employees to perform basic and common maintenance tasks, such as cleaning, lubricating, inspection, minor repairs, adjustment, calibration, etc.

We distinguish two main topics such as regarding the self issue in the context of a high quality system paying attention only for example on the self-treatment, self-consciousness features and technologies. Another theme concentrates on using autonomous robotics to support, direct and receiving current renovation tasks performed by employees (M. Farnsworth, C. Bell, S. Khan, T. Tomiyama 2015, p. 396).

Autonomous maintenance in 7 steps

"Generally, the AM practice consists of seven steps as the following:

  1. initial cleaning
  2. elimination of sources of contamination and hard-to-access areas
  3. preparation of tentative AM standards
  4. general inspection
  5. autonomous standards
  6. workplace organisation
  7. all-out AM." (C. S. Min, R. Ahmad, S. Kamaruddin, I. A. Azid 2011, p. 270).

First 5 steps are responsible for decreasing the variation of the equipment length of life. Basically they are for improving the equipmant. In the last 2 steps the most important is improvement the product and design length of life - simply improvement of the process.

Development of Autonomous Maintenance(AM) framework

"The framework focuses on three improvement areas: technical skills, attitude and working culture." (C. S. Min, R. Ahmad, S. Kamaruddin, I. A. Azid 2011, p. 275). The first step concerns autonomous maintenance team creation, time of activity and making a choice which machine to choose. Another step is connected with autonomous maintenance training and motivation. This step contains skills training series. The aim of the skills training series is adding autonomous maintenance to the executive staff training in terms of AM-5 actions.

"The AM-5 activities are as follows:

  • initial cleaning
  • elimination of sources of contaminations
  • establishment of inspection, visual display and control
  • establishment of cleaning and lubricating standards
  • establishment of AM standards."(C. S. Min, R. Ahmad, S. Kamaruddin, I. A. Azid 2011, p. 278).

The third step referes to the above-mentioned five basic autonomous maintenance activities. In this step particularly important is the way how AM-5 activities are being realised. The last fourth step is deticated to the whole autonomous maintenance audit and constant improvement. The main aim in this fianl step concerns improvement of the practise of autonomous maintenance.

Examples of Autonomous maintenance

  • Checking for wear and tear on machinery: Checking for any wearing or tearing of parts or components on machinery can be done by the machine operator. This can help to detect any issues with machinery before they develop into a more serious problem.
  • Cleaning and lubrication of machinery: Cleaning and lubrication of machinery is an essential task that needs to be carried out by the machine operator. This will help to reduce the amount of friction and wear on the machinery, which can prolong its life and reduce the need for repairs or replacement.
  • Identifying abnormal noises: Identifying any abnormal noises or vibrations coming from the machinery is also something that can be done by the machine operator. This can help to detect any issues with the machinery before they become more serious and lead to an interruption of production.
  • Changing worn out parts: Changing out any worn out parts or components on the machinery can also be done by the machine operator. This can help to ensure that the machinery is running optimally and reduce the risk of any costly repairs or breakdowns.

Advantages of Autonomous maintenance

Autonomous maintenance offers several advantages to a company. These advantages include:

  • Improved performance of the machines: With regular maintenance, machines can be kept in top condition and any potential problems can be identified and fixed in a timely manner, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability.
  • Increased employee involvement: Employees are actively involved in the maintenance process, which leads to improved knowledge and skill, as well as better understanding of the equipment.
  • Improved safety: Employees are able to detect potential safety risks and take appropriate action to address them.
  • Reduced downtime: With regular maintenance, the risk of costly breakdowns and unplanned downtime is minimized.
  • Cost savings: Autonomous maintenance can lead to reduced costs due to fewer breakdowns and improved efficiency.

Limitations of Autonomous maintenance

Autonomous maintenance has some limitations that should be taken into account when implementing it in the company. These are:

  • Lack of knowledge and skills of personnel in maintenance activities. Autonomous maintenance requires personnel to have appropriate knowledge and skills to perform maintenance of the equipment without help of specialists or outside contractors.
  • High cost of implementation. Autonomous maintenance requires certain investments in order to purchase necessary tools, materials and equipment and to train personnel.
  • Difficulty in creating preventive maintenance plans. Autonomous maintenance requires precise and detailed preventive maintenance plans that can be complex and hard to create.
  • Lack of effective feedback system. Autonomous maintenance requires setting up effective feedback system in order to recognize early signs of equipment failure and take necessary measures.
  • Difficulty in measuring the effectiveness. Autonomous maintenance is difficult to measure in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

Other approaches related to Autonomous maintenance

Autonomous maintenance is one of the many tools used during implementation of Total Productive Maintenance and Lean Production. Other approaches related to Autonomous maintenance include:

  • Visual management - This approach helps to identify and resolve problems quickly by making them easily visible. It also helps to track the progress of work performed and visualize process flow.
  • Preventive maintenance - This approach helps to identify and resolve potential problems before they cause major damage. It involves regular inspection of the machinery and equipment to detect any issues and take corrective actions.
  • Quality control - This approach helps to maintain the quality of production by ensuring that the products meet the required standards. It involves inspecting and testing the products regularly to ensure that they meet the required standards.
  • Kaizen - The Kaizen approach helps to improve the efficiency of the production process by identifying and eliminating any waste or non-value adding activities.

In summary, Autonomous maintenance is an important tool used in the implementation of Total Productive Maintenance and Lean Production. Other approaches related to Autonomous maintenance include Visual management, Preventive maintenance, Quality control and Kaizen. All of these approaches help to improve the efficiency and quality of the production process.


Autonomous maintenance — recommended articles
5S method — Quality assurance — Total productive maintenance — Line balancing — Lean manufacturing — HACCP system — Kaizen costing — Muda mura muri — Jidoka

References

Author: Karolina Korbut

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