Smart knowledge management: get more out of your TPM approach
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a solid approach to elevate your production to a higher level. However, there is a secret way to get (much) more out of your TPM strategy: smart knowledge management. We will tell you all about it.
TPM and knowledge management: the key to operational excellence
TPM provides a robust framework for manufacturing companies: you achieve maximum Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), preventive work, operator ownership, and zero loss. With strong pillars such as Autonomous Maintenance, Education & Training, and Continuous Improvement, TPM establishes a solid foundation for progress.
However, there is a vital asset that allows you to maximize your TPM strategy. Perhaps the most important asset in your organization: knowledge. By making the right knowledge available to the right employee at the right time, you ensure a unified way of working in which everyone can make the best decision at any moment. This is essential for continuous excellence.
Capturing knowledge with ELICIT
ELICIT helps you capture this knowledge and make it available to your employees. We do this by extracting knowledge from the minds of your most experienced experts and processing it into highly comprehensive knowledge files, which are immediately accessible to people on the shop floor via a user-friendly tool. An operator opens ELICIT and, in just a few clicks, sees everything they need to know about a malfunction, deviation, or specific setting of the installation. At the highest level of expertise. This allows every employee to make choices like an expert.
What do you achieve with TPM and ELICIT together?
- Taking Autonomous Maintenance to a higher level
TPM creates the structure for operator-driven maintenance; ELICIT makes it practically executable. Your operators gain direct access to visual instructions for daily maintenance. No technical jargon, but practical step-by-step explanations with photos and videos. This makes them more self-reliant and substantially increases ownership. - Standardization that truly sticks
TPM requires standardized processes; ELICIT ensures they remain alive. With ELICIT, you capture the ‘best practice’, validated by your experts. This ensures consistency between shifts and locations, and makes training more efficient. Standardization moves from a paper reality to daily practice. - Problem-solving at record speed
TPM identifies sources of malfunction; ELICIT accelerates the solution. In the event of deviations or breakdowns, ELICIT helps operators quickly find the right approach. With a few clicks, they have access to instructions, including the most common causes and corresponding actions. The result: shorter downtime and improved OEE. - Continuous improvement with data and insights
TPM provides the framework for improvement; ELICIT delivers the data to improve in a targeted manner. Every interaction with ELICIT Online generates valuable information: which problems occur frequently? Which instructions are consulted often? These insights form the basis for targeted improvement initiatives and Kaizen projects.
Successful transformations
The combination of TPM and ELICIT is already delivering impressive results at various organizations:
FrieslandCampina accelerates problem-solving
At FrieslandCampina, the number of support requests to the technical department decreased significantly after operators were provided with digital knowledge cards. They now gain control faster during process deviations and work with more confidence and ownership.
Ten Cate Protect achieves uniform quality
Ten Cate Protect consolidated all critical knowledge per production line in ELICIT. This has led to a uniform approach to quality issues, which is essential for quality management. Consistency in quality, regardless of the operator or shift, has improved significantly.
Van Merksteijn minimizes downtime
At Van Merksteijn, ELICIT ensures a drastic reduction in dependency on key personnel. Capturing the knowledge of senior operators has resulted in noticeably less downtime and a more predictable production process – exactly what TPM stands for.
TPM and knowledge management: impact in practice
Together, TPM and ELICIT bring the promise of ‘zero loss manufacturing’ within reach. They make operators more self-reliant, processes more robust, and your organization structurally focused on improvement. In an era where experienced personnel are becoming scarcer and efficiency is more important than ever, this combination can help you excel in the industry.
Strengthen your approach?
Would you like to discover how ELICIT Online can strengthen your TPM approach and take it to the next level? Contact us via info@elicitonline.com and schedule a non-binding demo on your own shop floor. Together, we can explore how the synergy between TPM and ELICIT can work for your organization too!