Poonath Sekar

KEY MAINTENANCE METRICS: How MTBF and MTTR Drive Efficiency
1. MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)
👉 Purpose: MTBF is used to assess the reliability of equipment. It indicates how long a system or machine operates before a failure occurs. This KPI helps to identify if equipment is generally performing well or if improvements in design, maintenance, or operations are needed.
👉 What it tells you:
A higher MTBF means the equipment or system is more reliable and experiences fewer failures.
A low MTBF suggests frequent breakdowns, indicating that the equipment may need redesigning or more preventive maintenance.
👉 How it is used:
MTBF is used in industries like manufacturing, aviation, energy, and IT to measure and improve the operational reliability of machinery and systems.
Maintenance teams use MTBF to predict when failures might occur and schedule maintenance accordingly.

2. MTTR (Mean Time To Repair)
👉 Purpose: MTTR is used to assess how quickly equipment can be repaired after a failure. It measures the effectiveness and speed of the maintenance team in responding to and resolving issues. The faster the repair time, the less downtime the equipment experiences, which leads to higher productivity.
👉 What it tells you:
A lower MTTR means the maintenance team is efficient at diagnosing and repairing the equipment, minimizing downtime.
A high MTTR indicates potential inefficiencies in the repair process, such as slow diagnosis, lack of spare parts, or insufficient skill levels in the maintenance team.
👉 How it is used:
MTTR is used by maintenance teams to identify bottlenecks in the repair process. It also helps in determining resource requirements (like spare parts and personnel) and optimizing maintenance workflows.
In industries where downtime is costly, MTTR is critical to maintaining operational efficiency.

Summary of Key Differences:
✒️ MTBF focuses on how reliable the equipment is (how long it runs before failure).
✒️ MTTR focuses on how quickly the system can be brought back to working order after a failure.

How They Work Together:
✒️ A system with high MTBF and low MTTR is the ideal scenario. It means the equipment is not only reliable but also that any issues that do arise can be quickly fixed with minimal downtime.
✒️ In maintenance management, a balance of both KPIs is crucial to ensure both reliability and quick response times in case of failure.

ROLES OF A QUALITY PERSON:

A quality person plays a crucial role in making sure that everything an organization produces meets high standards. They do this through a combination of checks, improvements, training, and collaboration, all while keeping the customer’s needs in mind.

👉 Ensuring Quality
A quality person develops and maintains the standards that define what “quality” means for products and services. They create guidelines that everyone can follow to make sure things are up to par.
They regularly check to see if the company is sticking to these standards through audits and assessments.

👉 Checking Products and Services
They inspect products and services to ensure they meet the established quality standards. This might involve running tests or checking for defects.
If they find any problems, they analyze what went wrong and suggest improvements to fix those issues.

👉 Improving Processes
A quality person is always looking for ways to make things better. They identify areas where processes can be improved and help implement those changes.
They listen to feedback from customers and employees to continuously refine quality practices.

👉 Training Others
They often provide training for staff to help them understand the importance of quality and how to achieve it in their work.
By mentoring colleagues, they help build a strong quality mindset within the team.

👉 Collaborating with Teams
Quality people work closely with other departments, like production, sales, and engineering, to ensure everyone is aligned on quality goals.
They communicate findings and reports to management, helping everyone understand the importance of maintaining high standards.

👉 Focusing on Customer Needs
They actively seek to understand what customers want and expect, using that information to inform quality standards.
Monitoring customer feedback is crucial; they want to ensure that customers are satisfied with the quality of the products and services provided.

👉 Adhering to Regulations
A quality person ensures that the company complies with industry regulations and standards. This might involve keeping up with laws and guidelines that govern their sector.
They maintain detailed records of quality processes and standards to demonstrate compliance.

👉 Promoting a Quality Culture
They advocate for a workplace culture that prioritizes quality, encouraging everyone to take ownership of their role in producing high-quality work.
When changes are needed to improve quality, they lead the charge and help others adapt to these changes.

Production KPIs
I’ve shared posts on Quality and Maintenance KPIs, which received positive feedback and appreciation. Many professionals have requested that I now cover Production KPIs, so I’m excited to share most of them now. I value your thoughts and input.

📌 Productivity:
Increase Production Volume: Boost the number of units produced.
Enhance Throughput: Speed up production processes.
Improve OEE: Maximize equipment efficiency.
Capacity Utilization: Use available production capacity effectively.
Labour Efficiency: Increase output per labor hour.

📌 Quality:
First Pass Yield: Ensure products meet standards without rework.
Reduce In-Process Rejection: Decrease defects during production.
Eliminate Rework: Prevent the need for corrections.

📌 Cost:
Reduce Manufacturing Cost: Lower variable and fixed costs.
Product Lifecycle Cost: Minimize total costs from design to disposal.
Reduce Energy Cost: Optimize energy usage.

📌 Delivery:
On-Time Manufacturing (OTM): Meet production schedules.
On-Time In-Full (OTIF): Deliver the correct quantity on time.
Reduce Lead Time: Shorten order-to-delivery time.

📌 Safety:
Eliminate Unsafe Acts: Prevent risky behaviors.
Eliminate Unsafe Conditions: Address hazardous workplace conditions.
Near Miss: Track incidents that nearly caused accidents.

📌 Morale:
5S Score: Maintain a tidy and organized workspace.
Continual Improvement: Foster ongoing improvement (OPL, Kaizen).
Skill Level: Enhance employee skills.

📌 Environmental:
Water Consumption: Reduce water usage.
Eliminate Hazardous Waste: Manage dangerous waste properly.
Eliminate Non-Hazardous Waste: Minimize other waste.
Reduce Emission Factor: Lower greenhouse gas emissions.

KEY COST OF QUALITY (COQ) KPIs:
Cost of Quality (CoQ) Overview
The Cost of Quality includes all costs related to ensuring that products or services meet quality standards. It is divided into four main categories: prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure.

1. Prevention Costs
Training Effectiveness Rate: Measures the percentage of employees trained in quality practices.
Quality Planning Budget Utilization: Tracks how well the budget for preventive activities is used.
Supplier Quality Rating: Average score assessing supplier performance.
Number of Process Improvements Implemented: Total successful quality improvement initiatives.

2. Appraisal Costs
Inspection Pass Rate: Percentage of products that pass inspections on the first attempt.
Cost of Quality Audits: Total costs incurred for conducting quality audits.
Calibration Frequency Compliance: Percentage of equipment calibrated on schedule.
Percentage of Rework Due to Appraisal Failures: Tracks rework costs related to inspection failures.

3. Internal Failure Costs
Internal Scrap Rate: Percentage of materials or products scrapped due to defects.
Rework Rate: Percentage of products that require rework due to internal issues.
Downtime Due to Defects: Measures total downtime caused by defects found during production.
Cost of Internal Failures: Total costs from rework, scrap, and other internal failures.

4. External Failure Costs
External Return Rate: Percentage of products returned by customers due to defects.
Cost of Warranty Claims: Total costs associated with customer warranty claims.
Customer Complaints Rate: Number of customer complaints per products sold.
Cost of External Failures: Total expenses related to external failures, like repairs and lost sales.

Importance of Managing CoQ
Effectively managing CoQ helps:
Identify Areas for Improvement: Spot where defects occur.
Reduce Waste: Minimize unnecessary costs related to quality.
Lower Failure Costs: Address issues before they reach customers.
Enhance Customer Satisfaction: Deliver high-quality products and improve loyalty.

Why-Why Analysis
Why-Why Analysis is a problem-solving technique used to identify the root cause of a problem by repeatedly asking “Why?“ until the underlying issue is uncovered.

Here's a step-by-step approach:

📌Identify the Problem: Clearly define the problem or symptom you are experiencing.

📌Ask “Why?“: Ask why the problem is occurring. Write down the answer.

📌Ask “Why?“ Again: For each answer given, ask why it is happening. Write down this answer as well.

📌Repeat: Continue asking “Why?“ for each successive answer until you reach a root cause. This usually involves 5 to 7 iterations.

📌Analyze and Address: Once you identify the root cause, analyze it to find potential solutions. Implement corrective actions to address the root cause and prevent recurrence.

📌Verify: After implementing solutions, monitor the situation to ensure that the problem has been effectively resolved and does not reoccur.

This iterative process helps in drilling down to the core issue rather than addressing only the symptoms.

THE 16 LOSSES IN THE KOBETSU KAIZEN PILLAR OF TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE (TPM)
 
The 16 losses identified in the Kobetsu Kaizen approach highlight inefficiencies in manufacturing and are categorized into Machine Losses, Man Losses, and Material Losses.

📌 Machine Losses
👉 Breakdown Loss:
What it is: Unexpected machine breakdowns causing downtime.
Impact: Production halts, leading to delays for repairs.

👉 Set Up & Adjustment Loss:
What it is: Time spent preparing machines for production or adjusting for different products.
Impact: Reduces time available for actual production.

👉 Tool Change Loss:
What it is: Time wasted changing tools or dies on machines.
Impact: Frequent changes slow down production.

👉 Start-Up Loss:
What it is: Inefficiencies during machine startup after a stop.
Impact: Machines may not run smoothly initially, affecting output quality.

👉 Minor Stoppage & Idling Loss:
What it is: Short interruptions in production.
Impact: Small stoppages can accumulate to significant lost time.

👉 Speed Loss:
What it is: Machines operating below their potential speed.
Impact: Results in less output from equipment.

👉 Defect & Rework Loss:
What it is: Losses due to products failing quality standards and needing rework.
Impact: Wastes materials and requires extra time and resources.

👉 Shutdown Loss:
What it is: Losses from planned or unplanned machine shutdowns.
Impact: Disrupts workflow during maintenance or malfunctions.

📌 Man Losses
👉 Management Loss:
What it is: Inefficiencies from poor management decisions.
Impact: Causes confusion and miscommunication, wasting resources.

👉 Motion Loss:
What it is: Wasted time due to unnecessary movements by workers.
Impact: Long distances for tools slow down production.

👉 Line Organization Loss:
What it is: Problems from a disorganized production line.
Impact: Poor workflow leads to delays and frustration.

👉 Distribution Loss:
What it is: Inefficiencies in task distribution among workers.
Impact: Uneven workloads affect productivity.

👉 Measurement and Adjustment Loss:
What it is: Time spent on measuring and adjusting for quality.
Impact: Excessive measuring can detract from production time.

📌 Material Losses
👉 Yield Loss:
What it is: The gap between raw materials used and finished products.
Impact: Wasted materials increase costs and lower profitability.

👉 Energy Loss:
What it is: Inefficiencies in energy consumption during production.
Impact: High energy costs can reduce profits.

👉 Die, Tool, and Jig Loss:
What it is: Losses from the wear and tear of tools and dies.
Impact: Frequent maintenance or replacement disrupts workflow and increases costs.