Selecting the Best Tools and Framework To Evaluate Equipment Malfunctions and Improve the OEE in the Cork Industry

Abstract

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) has gain increasing relevance into the companies, which can help in increasing the productivity due to less equipment stoppages. The unavailability of the equipment directly affects the company's performance, which can be measured through the OEE. However, the organization of SMEs is not always properly organized, to have a concrete sense of the losses that can accumulate due to equipment unavailability. This work aimed to develop a framework capable of responding effectively in the beginning of the implementation process of a TPM system. A novel sequence of application of tools was created, both linked to lean and quality, which, when applied in the correct sequence, allow solving some persistent problems in a few steps, resulting in significant gains for companies. The model was applied to a company in the cork industry, and it was possible to verify its effectiveness.

Article history: Received (May 21, 2021); Revised (November 2, 2021); Accepted (November 4, 2021); Published online (November 16, 2021)