Set-up reduction (SUR) beyond total productive maintenance (TPM)

Abstract

There is a growing awareness of the importance of set-up performance in multiproduct manufacturing environments. This paper contrasts the potential business contribution of conducting set-up reduction (SUR) as an initiative in its own right with the contribution SUR will make as a component part of a rigorously conducted total productive maintenance (TPM) initiative. It is argued that under TPM a business can easily fail to recognize the global impact of SUR and fail to take the opportunities afforded by improved setup times. It is demonstrated that in the nature of TPM, and in the manner in which it is implemented and measured, there is pressure to move away from responsive, small-batch manufacture that SUR promotes. While there is a growing awareness of SUR benefits, there are relatively few reported cases in which sustained long-term improvements have been seen. One reason for this is that although faster changeovers are perceived as a ‘good thing’, there is little in-depth analysis of their impact on overall business performance. A classification is proposed against which the potential SUR benefits may be assessed and the commercial opportunities that can arise through having a more responsive manufacturing system are also highlighted.