Marts Conference 2012: Getting to the Root Cause of Your Maintenance Issues

Getting to the Real Root Cause of
Your Maintenance Issues
Presented by
Anthony Manos

© Profero, Inc. 2012

Learning Outcomes
• This session will help guide you how to get to the root cause of your
maintenance issues and breakdowns using real world examples and
practical steps.
• Case studies will be shared on how teams went about finding the
root cause of a problem and what happens when they didn’t.
• Find out how to apply the “5 Whys” and other tools effectively.
• See how to include scientific thinking in your maintenance
applications in a simple way.
• Develop better teamwork between maintenance
personnel, operators and management.
• Learn the six principles that will give you better maintenance
results.
• We all know we need to take better care of our equipment and
machines; this session will help show you how and why.


Agenda
• Case Study #1 – Fabricating a solution
• 6 Principles for Better Maintenance
• Case Study #2 – Vibration nation
• Cool Tools for Better Maintenance
• Case Study #3 – Feed me


Case Study #1
Fabricating a solution


Background Information
• An excessive amount of parts coming out of an oven were
being sent to a over-temp (scrap) bin
• The operators lived with this condition for a while, but it was
reducing their productivity rates. They mentioned it to a
maintenance person. That maintenance person told the
supervisor. The supervisor told the manager.
• They thought that light coming in from the window was
interfering with the sensor unit reading so they decided to
fabricate a shield to go over the temperature probe.
• It took 24 man-hours (three days for a third shift maintenance
person) to fabricate the shield and install it.


Current State

Cover

Oven

Scrap


Lessons Learned
• The operators reported that they still have some
issues with over-temp conditions
• They should of had the people involved (including the
operators) perform 5 Whys to get to the real root cause
• Spending 24 man-hours working on a solution
that doesn’t actually solve the problem is not
a good solution
• They should have use that time to get to the real root
cause and implement the correct, permanent
solution.

Principles for Better
Maintenance
The Big 6
(Principles)


6 Principles for
Better Maintenance Results
1. Know thy equipment
2. Take the time to get to the root cause
3. Don’t assume you already know the answer
(Don’t stop at your first solution)
4. Verify your solution
5. Monitor your equipment
6. Improve your system


Know Thy Equipment
• Spend time to really learn the equipment
– inside & out
• Develop a Total Productive Maintenance System
and Autonomous Maintenance (TPM & AM)
• Consider performing TPM Events focused on
specific equipment or machines
• Include operators and maintenance
personnel
• Have the correct manuals & repair parts


Take the Time to Get to the Root Cause
• Find the real root
cause
• It may take a little
work, it might not be
easy, you probably
don’t have time – roll
up your sleeves and get
to work
• Know when to say
when – Will the
problem reoccur?

Don’t Assume You Already Know the
Answer
• Your first solution is wrong
• Don’t stop at your first solution
• Get to the real root cause – don’t just assume!
• Test your theories out – use the scientific
method
• Listen to others’ points of view


Monitor Your Equipment
• Find a way to track the effectiveness of your
equipment – OEE
• Make sure that the PMs are being done
correctly and on-time
• Use your operators as a key source of
information
• Make it visual!


Improve Your System
• Even if your equipment is performing
adequately think of ways to make it better
• Include training into your maintenance system
for operators, maintenance
personnel, engineers and management
• Get suggestions from workers on how to
improve your maintenance system


Great Tools
Need to know how &
when to use them


5 Whys
• Ask “Why” five times to help get to a root
cause
• Doesn’t always have to be five; could be
more, could be less
• Good for simple issues (not complex ones)
• Verify solution before proceeding to next
“Why?”


Cause & Effect
• A.k.a. Fishbone or
Ishikawa diagram
• Head = effect
• Bones = causes or
variables
• Categories 5Ms (E+C or
other)


Scientific Thinking
• Change one thing at a
time and see what
happens
• Easy to teach, easy to
learn
• Gain valuable insights –
including what worked
and what didn’t


Developing Teamwork
• Work together
• Help each other be
right (not wrong)
• Listen
• Use facts and data (vs.
assumptions, intuition or
opinion)
• Be open-minded
• Problems are
o.k., solutions are
even better


Case Study #2
Vibration nation


Background Information
• The vibrating bowl would shake violently on start-
up and shut-down. There was a comment that
“you wouldn’t want to be near it when it started
or stopped.”
• This caused the parts to “jump” on top of each
other or lie next to each other. This could cause a
jam in two different areas of the delivery feed
system. If the parts jammed the operator would
not know until no more parts where delivered to
the machine. This would cause downtime and
other quality problems.


5 Whys
5 Whys Gone Wrong
1. Why are there no more parts?
Because the parts got jammed.
2. Why did the parts get jammed?
Because they were on top of each other and
wouldn’t fit.
Ah-ha! Add a piece that only allows one part to
go through at a time!

5 Whys
Good idea, it just doesn’t get to the root cause and the
violent shaking will eventually cause other problems.
Let’s try 5 Whys again
Because they were on top of each other and couldn’t fit.
3. Why are they on top of each other?
Because the motors shake violently on start and stop.
Ah-ha! Adjust the counter-weights on the motors of the
bowl feeder!


5 Whys
THIS IS NOT THE ONLY REASON – be careful of going down the wrong
road. Look for simple solutions whenever possible
One more try
4. Why do the motors shake violently on start and stop?
Because the feedback circuit isn’t adjusted correctly.
Ah-ha! Adjust the feedback circuit!


5 Whys
This actual fixes the problem, but it doesn’t prevent it.
Finally!
4. Why do the motors shake violently on start and stop?
Because the feedback circuit isn’t adjusted correctly.
5. Why was the feedback circuit out of adjustment?
It wasn’t labeled and it was changed by mistake.
Ah-ha! Label the circuits and mark the correct settings!


5 Whys
Other Lessons Learned
• When the operator took the initiative and asked if there was
anything that could be done, he was told that there weren’t
any ways to make the adjustment.
• When the operator asked another person, they said it would
take a lot of effort to change the counter-weights.
• Then the operator asked another person, and they said
“Sure, it’s easy to adjust the circuit.”
• It took longer to get the panel off of the control box than it did
to make the adjustment.
• When the machine ran on second shift that night, there were
no jams at all.

Case Study #3
Feed me


Feed Chain Example
• While performing a
TPM Event on a
packaging machine the
team noticed that many
of the grippers on the
feed chain were
damaged or
missing
• Why?


Easy Fix!
• The quick and easy solution would be to repair
or replace the damaged grippers
• Would that really solve the problem?


TPM Event - Drive Chain
• What was the cause of
the missing damaged
grippers?
• An aluminum block was
discovered rubbing
against the chain
• Why was this block
rubbing against the
chain?

Find the Cause
• The chain was rubbing
against the aluminum
block for so long that it
created a deep groove
• The operator thought he
heard strange sounds
when the machine was
running
• The maintenance expert
didn’t even know why the
block was rubbing against
the chain


Finding the Root Cause
• It took a while to
determine the real root
cause – the push rod was
loose and extended too
far causing the carriage to
go too far and rub into
the chain
• Solution – lock nut and
marker (visual indicator
to see if it becomes loose
again) – added to
Autonomous
Maintenance (AM)


Teamwork
• The team worked together and used other
tools like Fishbone, brainstorming, etc.
• The manager decided to spend more time
training the operators and technicians


Success!


Conclusion
Wrap-up and Q&A


Resources
TPM Blitz DVD “Implementing TPM:
by SME & AME The North American
Experience” by Charles
J. Robinson and
Andrew P. Ginder

Maintenance Gauge Range
Stations and
Maintenance
Tags

Motor Fan
Filters

Available at
www.5Ssupply.com

Wrap-up
• This session will help guide you how to get to the root cause of your
maintenance issues and breakdowns using real world examples and
practical steps.
• Case studies will be shared on how teams went about finding the
root cause of a problem and what happens when they didn’t.
• Find out how to apply the “5 Whys” and other tools effectively.
• See how to include scientific thinking in your maintenance
applications in a simple way.
• Develop better teamwork between maintenance
personnel, operators and management.
• Learn the six principles that will give you better maintenance
results.
• We all know we need to take better care of our equipment and
machines; this session will help show you how and why.


Additional Resources

Slideshare
Group 5S Supply

Q&A
• Questions
• Comments
• Evaluations


Developer
Anthony Manos
Tony Manos is a Catalyst with Profero, Inc., “Leaders
in Lean”, where he provides professional consulting
services to organizations focusing on implementing
Lean Enterprise. Mr. Manos has extensive
knowledge of Lean and quality in a wide range of
work environments. Tony is trained and certified by
the National Institute for Standards and Technology
(NIST) U.S. Department of Commerce in all elements
of Lean manufacturing.
As a member of American Society for Quality’s (ASQ)
faculty, he teaches a two-day course in Lean
Enterprise and a one-day course on Kaizen. Tony is
the past Chair of the Lean Enterprise Forum of ASQ.
He is a senior member of the Society of Contact information:
Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and a member of
the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). Anthony Manos
He is part of the team that developed the Lean Catalyst
Certification for AME, SME and the Shingo Prize. Profero, Inc.
Mr. Manos served in the United States Navy nuclear 9270 Corsair Road Street, Suite 18
propulsion program and holds and MBA from the Frankfort, IL 60423
University of Illinois at Chicago.
C 312.718.0078
F 815.469.5678
E: anthony.manos@proferoinc.com
www.proferoinc.com


Thank you
for your time and attention


Marts Conference 2012: Getting to the Root Cause of Your Maintenance Issues

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Marts Conference 2012: Getting to the Root Cause of Your Maintenance Issues