
TPM and RCM: Whirled Class
When a piece of production machinery broke down at the Whirlpool plant in Findlay, Ohio, several years back, it was accepted practice for the machine operator to call maintenance and then sit back and wait for the problem to be fixed. Critical information and knowledge was not shared between the operator and maintenance technician. Like many companies, these workers were stuck in traditional roles – operators run the machines, maintenance fixes the machines, and the two do not cross. As a result, productivity opportunities were missed.