The company follows Nakajima's (1988) seven steps of autonomous
maintenance. After each of Nakajima's (1988) seven steps has been
implemented on a machine an audit is undertaken. The team's managers check
the audit and if satisfactory, give the team a small award so they can progress
to the next level. The company's success is demonstrated by the fact in 1999
only 877 breakdowns of more than five minutes duration were experienced on
their 1,123 machines and the average time between breakdowns was 1.3 years.
The measurements are made by using a combination of OEE and line
balancing, and this results in an ABC classification system that prioritises
machines for production and maintenance. For example, an A class machine is
one which is a bottleneck on a particular production line and there is no
replacement equipment if it breaks down; ``A'' class machines are therefore the
first to be repaired, planned maintenance is a priority and they are operated
continuously. OEE is measured on all ``A'' class machines to help focus
improvement activities: currently Company C only measures OEE on 30 per
cent of its machines.
The key focus of Company