Comprehensive Surge Suppression Installations Impacts on  Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance, Continuous Improvement, and Quality Systems (QS-9000, ISO-9000:2001, & ISO/TS 16949)

    A comprehensive surge arrester/transient voltage surge suppressor (TVSS)  installation is fully supportive and complements all quality systems in place.  Increased reliability of production equipment improves quality through reduction of stoppages, reduces waste and re-work, and increases productive output.  This results in increasing equipment's overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).  Furt her, installation of power conditioning equipment adds depth to contingency planning in a proactive, rather than a reactive manner.

     The concept of "Lean manufacturing" was introduced to U.S. Industry in the 90's by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones. In their book, " The Machine That Changed the World" , they presented data based on a global study of the automotive industry, and coined the term "Lean Production" to represent the best practices as exemplified most closely by the Toyota production system.  Actually, though, the concept of Lean Manufacturing isn't anything new...Henry Ford was one of the first to envision tracking the process of raw materials throughout the manufacturing cycle and identifying processes that did not add value.

     Lean Manufacturing is also closely associated with Continuous Improvement (or Kaizen™), which focuses on waste and safety in the workplace.  Both of these concepts directly support the most common quality systems, ISO-9000:2001, QS-9000, & ISO/TS 19949 as published by the International Standards Organization (ISO).

     The effects produced by installation of a comprehensive surge suppression installation are dramatic, immediate, and long lasting.  The proliferation of electronic and electrically operated equipment in manufacturing facilities guarantees that production and efficiency are related to the state of the facility's power system.  Since transient activity has been implicate d in as much as 30% of production downtime and accounts for over 88% of all power quality anomalies measured, it becomes obvious that eliminating this effect will result in positive changes in manufacturing processes and the inherent waste produced by production equipment stoppages.

Lean Manufacturing

While lean manufacturing is best described as a way of thinking, its core is based on the continuous improvement of manufacturing processes.  The goal of lean manufacturing is to eliminate all non-value added activities and waste within an organization.

In lean manufacturing systems, wastes are usually grouped into the categories of: transportation, inventory, motion, overproduction, defects, waiting, extra processing, and underutilized people.  Installation of surge suppression equipment can have a dramatic (hence, easily measurable and documented) impact on four of these categories--defects, waiting, extra processing, and underutilized people.

Continuous Improvement

The main objectives of the continuous improvement process are to increase customer satisfaction, reduce waste, improve quality, reduce delivery time, and assure a safer work area.  Installation of surge suppression equipment will just as obviously impact the areas of--reducing waste, quality improvement, reduction of delivery time, and assuring a safer work area.

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) consists of a company wide equipment maintenance program covering the entire equipment life cycle and requires participation by every employee. The goal of TPM is to minimize downtime due to maintenance, and maximize machine uptime. 

Quality Systems (ISO 9000:2001, ISO/TS 16949, QS-9000, GM-9000, 

All quality systems specifically target preventive maintenance and contingency planning as both management and team objectives in assuring the reliability of the manufacturing process.  Specifically mentioned is the goal of reducing downtime, reducing the cost of quality, and assuring consistency of processes.

Surge Arresters: Surge Suppressors--a multi-faceted approach to operational improvements

    Not a single power distribution specialist or power quality practitioner will dispute that power conditioning equipment will reduce the incidence of machine failure, increase efficiency, and produce a safer, more productive work environment.  The United States Navy recently demonstrated a return-on-investment in approximately one year through maintenance reductions alone after installing surge suppression equipment in a text-book staggered array.

    You can expect to see the following goals of the Lean Manufacturing Process, Total Productive Maintenance, Kaizen, and all Quality Systems positively addressed through installation of a surge suppression system:

Defects

Equipment seldom fails when idle...it generally fails during production.  Whether the failure presents itself as a stoppage or a process out of control, the potential is production of defective material.  Worse, because of the nature of transient activity, defects can be inserted into the process that are extremely difficult to identify by anything less than 100% inspection.

Extra Processing, Reducing Waste

The most common method of determining that a machine has failed (or is failing) in less than the most obvious manner (stoppages) is that the operator loses control of the process.   At that point, all production from the last complia nce check is now suspect and must be evaluated or reworked.

Waiting, Underutilized People

While the equipment is idled, the operator must wait to determine if the process equipment can be returned to service.  In the event it cannot be returned to service, another setup and startup run is required.  Maintenance personnel are required to address this priority problem in a reactive manner instead of utilizing their time most efficiently by avoiding breakdowns through effective preventive maintenance.

Reduction of delivery time

Time spent troubleshooting and repairing failed production equipment does not add value to the product and increases the likelihood that heroic measures will be required to meet scheduled shipments.

Assuring a safer work area

Failed equipment must be accessed by operators and mechanics.  This requires the removal of guards, and in many times, bypassing of normal safety systems to troubleshoot and repair the equipment.  After the equipment is put into service, the operator must perform a process start-up under what may be rushed or time-sensitive conditions.  Keeping the equipment running is much safer for maintenance personnel and operators.

Quality Improvement

With less attention being spent on reactive repairs and the pressures of recouping downtime, operators can concentrate on producing quality product and maintenance personnel can concentrate on performing the most productive of maintenance...preventive maintenance.

Continuous Improvement

    Most experts do not recommend spot-placement of surge suppression equipment because it can sometimes cause problems in areas removed from the point of application.  An incremental approach can still be pursued if the facility's electrical system is properly grounded and has sufficiently sized neutrals.

    Please feel free to contact Stedi-Power at (678) 546-6780 if you have further questions.

 

PHONE:   (678) 546-6780      FAX:   (678) 546-6782
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Stedi-Power, Inc
5044 B U Bowman Drive #102
Buford, Georgia 30518
PHONE: (678) 546-6780

Last Updated: 07 Jun 2004
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