Quality Maintenance

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What is Quality Maintenance?

Quality Maintenance is the sixth pillar of TPM and aims to assure zero defect conditions. It does this by understanding and controlling the process interactions between manpower, material, machines and methods that could enable defects to occur. The key is to prevent defects from being produced in the first place, rather than installing rigorous inspection systems to detect the defect after it has been produced.

How is the Pillar implemented?

Quality Maintenance is launched later in the overall TPM deployment process because certain conditions must be in place for it to be successful. These conditions are delivered by full implementation of the first four pillars. Forced deterioration must be abolished, process problems must be eliminated and any variation in materials must be under control. Operators and maintenance must have the required capability to sustain equipment conditions.

Quality Maintenance is implemented in two phases.

The first phase aims to eliminate quality issues by analysing the defects, so that optimum conditions can be defined that prevent defects occurring. Then, the current state is investigated and improvements are implemented.

The second phase ensures that quality is sustained, by standardising the parameters and methods to achieve a zero defect system.

What are the benefits of the Pillar?

Quality Maintenance reduces the cost of quality, as waste resulting from poor quality, rework, consumer complaints and the need for inspection are reduced. Defects become a failure of the organisation’s systems, not the fault of the operator, and poor quality is no longer accepted as a normal occurrence. Everyone is responsible for maintaining optimal conditions and striving for zero defects.