Five common lean maintenance missteps

Citation

Fitzgerald, M. (2012), "Five common lean maintenance missteps", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 20 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2012.04420aaa.012

Five common lean maintenance missteps

Article Type: Abstracts From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 20, Issue 1

Fitzgerald M.Industry Week (USA), August 2011, Vol. 260 No. 8, Start page: 32, No. of pages: 2

Argues that it is relatively common for companies to adopt the lean philosophy while not fully understanding how far it will reach into the organization. Explains that equipment maintenance can lie at the very heart of productivity, but at the same time, those responsible for maintenance are often the last employees to be identified and included. Suggests that training, motivating and equipping operators and maintenance workers to complete proactively the tasks needed for reliable production capacity is the key to successful lean implementation. Illustrates these points with particular reference to five points that manufacturers should take into consideration when attempting to avoid the five most common mistakes made by manufacturers when attempting to introduce lean maintenance, namely: inadequate measurement before and after lean maintenance implementation; lack of corporate coaches and mentors; starting with the wrong project; starting a lean maintenance initiative before employees are on board; and relying on great intentions instead of necessary resources.ISSN: 0039-0895Reference: 40AR703

Keywords: Lean production, Maintenance programmes, Preventive maintenance, Productive maintenance, Manufacturing, Organizations, United States of America