Lean Maintenance. Joel Levitt

is the real mission of your department? In the best organizations there is alignment between the mission over the door and what really is said, or not said, in the small meetings and on the shop floor. Always:

      •Focus on service to the customer or focus on adding value to the customer.

      •Focus on safe operations for the maintenance workers, operations, the general public, and the environment.

      •Look for ways to reduce costs (ongoing Lean Maintenance) of your operation.

      •Look for better ways to do business by cultivating willingness to run controlled experiments (can be directed by Lean projects).

      Once again, the goal is the same. We are seeking a powerfully self-motivated workforce, and excellent execution of maintenance activity.

      Returning to the discussion about specific industrial groupings there are certain business process areas considered in World Class studies that apply within each division of industry. Within these areas we are able to relate the practices between cereal manufacturers to each other, and even cereal plants to similar plants such as snack makers (if they are similar in size, scale, and approach).

      Below are some of the strategies of world class maintenance management and how they specifically relate to Lean Maintenance.

Effective store room and stocking system	Essential for a couple of reasons. One is reduced downtime. Another is higher worker productivity, third is having the lowest inventory level to support the assets.
Effective PM and PdM program	Although PM/PdM is not the goal, it is a fundamental part of world class maintenance. The intensity of the program will be related to the consequences of unscheduled failure.
An up to date Maintenance Technical Library (elements can be either virtual or real)	World Class organizations manage information effectively. Lean Maintenance requires that 1000s of details are on hand when needed.
Timely reporting of potential problems by production, and meaningful feedback to planners on completed jobs by supervisors and technicians. Open dialogue with operators and engineering on troublesome equipment	Communication is the core of World Class Maintenance. All parties communicate to their critical partnership person. All communications channels are open.
Outsourcing and proper use of and orientation toward contractors	Use of outsiders is indicated when there are not enough available hours of competent personnel or there are no personnel with the competence needed at all. It is also used to minimize overall cost to deliver the maintenance product. Good for seasonal or business cycle peaks.
Good use of a CMMS in an organization running multiple shifts or locations, or who have more than 20 workers	The computer is a great tool for all but the smallest maintenance organizations. It provides the data for Lean projects and any World Class department would be using one intensively (not just feeding it but also taking advantage of it).
Complete equipment repair history	The CMMS or a good manual filing system provide the data for Lean decisions and are essential in a World Class setting. Data is retained from date-in-service until retirement.
Training	So much of the continued success of your World Class maintenance effort depends on things that you do not know today. Training has to be part of the World Class program.
Thorough failure analysis, Root Failure Analysis	World Class organizations do not tolerate repetitive failures. They have exercised the muscle (possibly through Lean projects) to analyze and redesign or permanently repair, all repetitive problems.
Disciplined approach to production such as understanding the importance of sticking to a schedule in both production and in maintenance	World Class maintenance is not only a maintenance ‘thing.’ It requires discipline and cooperation from other groups. That cooperation facilitates Lean projects.
Willingness	A World Class maintenance function has the willingness to embark on programs that make sense such as RCM and TPM, to enhance the delivery of service and reduce cost.
Quality	World Class maintenance would be nowhere without a sound and coherent approach to quality. Quality of maintenance work is related to proper training (competence), proper tools and parts (bill of materials) and enough time (custody). All these same elements point to a Lean organization too.
Good workmanship by craft personnel. Existence of overhaul and rebuild capabilities	The core of the whole discussion is excellence, without which World Class maintenance cannot exist. Lean projects sometimes require deep capabilities that are either in-house or easily available locally.
Good use of repair technology	World Class Maintenance is not about all the new toys introduced by vendors. It is about knowing what is available and using the appropriate technology when that is the best alternative.
Good relationships with vendors	If selected intelligently your vendors can be used to solve some of your most intractable problems. All World Class organizations have partnerships with their vendors. This multiplies their expertise without significant extra cost.

CHAPTER 5

       Lean Workers

       Benjamin Franklin says: An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

      When you think about lean workers and lean workforces, think about the difference between a platoon of army or even marine personnel, and an equal number of Special Forces personnel. Special Forces have the ability to focus high levels of firepower for short to moderate periods of time, on an objective. They can move quickly because they are designed to be maximally mobile. The Special Forces have deep ability to be flexible and adapt to the situation. Finally, they move without disrupting the environment (stealthy).

      The focus, speed, stealth, and flexibility bring about the objective. The lean maintenance worker is like that Special Forces soldier, flexible, with the ability to focus adequate firepower on any maintenance problem.

      It is very simple to define an ideal maintenance worker from a Lean perspective. The ideal workers are those who have the skills to handle whatever maintenance tasks are thrown at them. Taking that concept to its extreme, the most efficient set-up is where all roles are in one person. That arrangement gives maximum flexibility. When we speak about all roles, we mean all: maintenance, production, set-up, QC, and so on.

      Did you ever notice that, early in the history of almost every company, there is a stage where everyone does everything? Companies in that stage are most Lean because there is very little surplus anything. Everyone moves toward