Preventing Equipment Failures: The ABCs of Failure and How to Address Them

Every organization expects their assets to be reliable and invests a significant amount of time and money annually to ensure their availability. Experts recommend that instead of waiting for equipment to fail and then fixing it, it is easier and cheaper to minimize the chances of failure by spotting early defects and fixing them before they cause a breakdown. Defects can create waste, reduce production, erode value, and expose staff and environments to grave danger. Defect elimination involves identifying and eliminating defects before they cause a major breakdown.

Jidoka is a concept from the Toyota production system that involves detecting abnormal conditions in materials, machines, and methods and preventing the abnormality from being passed on to the next process. When defects are detected, the root cause, not just the symptom, should be determined, and countermeasures should be immediately implemented to eliminate the defect. Total Productive Maintenance involves empowering operators to tighten loose nuts to prevent equipment from breaking down.

Defect elimination is not just the responsibility of the maintenance team; every employee, including core contractors, should be observant enough to spot a defect and eliminate it immediately. To achieve a widespread culture of defect elimination, employees should be encouraged to be actively engaged in the process, and identified defects should be removed from their root cause. A system should be implemented to support the coordination of activities and celebrate success.

To achieve general reliability, organizations should understand that failure of assets is the consequence of unattended early defects and create an environment that encourages staff to become directly involved in defect elimination. Failure can result from aging, basic wear and tear, or careless work habits, with careless work habits contributing to about 84% of defects that become failures. Minimizing failure involves identifying and eliminating as many imperfections as possible.

In summary, organizations should adopt a defect elimination culture that involves everyone, not just the maintenance team, to achieve general reliability. Upper managers should create an environment that encourages staff to become directly involved in defect elimination, and employees should be empowered to identify and eliminate defects from their root cause. A system should be implemented to support the coordination of activities and celebrate success.

To minimize failure, organizations should identify and eliminate as many imperfections as possible. Careless work habits, which contribute to about 84% of defects that become failures, should be addressed through proper training and discipline to operate equipment. Failure can result from aging or basic wear and tear, but early detection and elimination of defects can help prevent breakdowns.

In conclusion, defect elimination is crucial for organizations to achieve reliability and avoid costly breakdowns. By adopting a defect elimination culture, organizations can empower their employees to identify and eliminate defects, preventing them from becoming major failures.