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JQME METHODOLOGY AND THEORY

14,3
Developing a Six Sigma
maintenance model
262
Andrew Thomas
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, UK
Richard Barton
Manufacturing Engineering Centre, Cardiff University, UK, and
Paul Byard
Manufacturing Advisory Service, Waterton Centre, Bridgend, UK

Abstract
Purpose Both total productive maintenance (TPM) and Six Sigma are key business process
strategies, which are employed by companies to enhance their manufacturing performance. The
purpose of this paper, therefore, will be to develop and implement an integrated Six Sigma
maintenance (SSM) model for manufacturing industry
Design/methodology/approach Through the development of a case study approach, the paper
chronicles the design, development and implementation of an integrated Six Sigma maintenance (SSM)
model. The model is subsequently evaluated for its effectiveness in the subject company.
Findings A model is proposed and the effectiveness of the approach is subsequently evaluated
highlighting the benefits the host organization received through this new approach by measuring the
effects of implementation against the seven quality, cost and delivery (QCD) measures.
Practical implications The design, development and implementation of a Six Sigma maintenance
model shown in this paper provides a simple yet highly effective approach to achieving significant
improvements in a companys product quality cost and delivery measures. The model combines
contemporary business management techniques with total productive maintenance strategies and
offers practicing maintenance managers and engineers a strategic framework for increasing
productive efficiency and output.
Originality/value The proposed SSM model contributes to the existing knowledge base on
maintenance systems and subsequently disseminates this information in order to provide impetus,
guidance and support towards increasing the development companies in an attempt to move the UK
manufacturing sector towards world class manufacturing performance.
Keywords Productive maintenance, Six sigma, Performance measures, United Kingdom
Paper type Conceptual paper

1. Introduction to TPM and the Six Sigma approach

Journal of Quality in Maintenance
Engineering
Vol. 14 No. 3, 2008
pp. 262-271
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1355-2511
DOI 10.1108/13552510810899463
Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a maintenance program, which employs a
strategy for maintaining plant and equipment to its optimum level of operational
effectiveness. Primarily the TPM approach links into the Lean concept and aims at
reducing waste due to poorly maintained machinery and provides for value added
inputs by way of ensuring machinery remains in productive operation for longer
periods of time (Jostes and Helms, 1994). Maintenance procedures and systems are
designed so that they are easier to accomplish and this is achieved through machine
redesign and modifications in order to facilitate this process.
 Six Sigma can be considered both a business strategy and a science that has the aim Six Sigma
of reducing manufacturing and service costs, and creating significant improvements in maintenance
customer satisfaction and bottom-line savings through combining statistical and
business process methodologies into an integrated model of process, product and model
service improvement (Breyfogle, 1999).
Although both strategies have similar aims, those of improving productive
effectiveness, the way in which these strategies are implemented into companies varies 263
greatly. Traditionally Six Sigma employs a structured five-phased DMAIC
methodology. Six Sigma teams are created to tackle specific problems to reach Six
Sigma levels of performance (Breyfogle, 1999). TPM implementation on the other hand
is seen to be implemented in a range of different ways, although attempts have been
made to formalise the TPM strategy (Blanchard, 1997; Jens et al., 1997; Raouf and
Ben-Daya, 1995) there is still no formally defined approach that can be considered as an
industry standard approach to TPM implementation. However, when considering
TPM, it is worth noting that the basic principles of the TPM strategy have very close
links to the Six Sigma approach. In TPM the ultimate aim is to achieve significantly
reduced breakdown levels through developing autonomous maintenance teams.
Employing therefore a standard operational framework for implementing both
approaches is seen as an obvious and necessary step for companies to achieve
simultaneous benefits from the TPM and Six Sigma strategies. To this end the DMAIC
process is used as the main operational approach for the implementation of the SSM
model. The following section highlights the application of the DMAIC process in the
implementation of a SSM strategy in a specialist castings company.
This paper proposes and subsequently evaluates a Six Sigma maintenance model
for manufacturing industry. The paper initially describes the subject company used for
the case study element of the paper before describing in detail each of the Six Sigma
DMAIC stages of the model and the development of the maintenance team structure
and strategy. The paper then evaluates the performance benefits gained form the
application of the model and later highlights the managerial implications of the SSM
approach.

2. Introduction to Company A
Company A is a manufacturer of specialist castings. The company manufactures its
products for a world wide market. Over the years the company has experienced
increasing competition from the far-east where product unit costs have been
dramatically reduced. This has brought about major changes to the company
operations and has raised the need for the company to become leaner and more
responsive to customers if they are to remain as serious competitors in their market.
Over the past two years the company has embarked on a Lean manufacturing
program. As part of the Lean approach, TPM and Six Sigma are seen as essential
strategies for success. However, the company is concerned that the separate
implementation of such approaches means the requirement of large scale human,
financial and technical resources as well as the associated problems of running
competing projects in the company. The company requires a simple yet effective
operational framework that can be used as a standard approach to adopting both
strategies in the company. The company expects that worker buy in will be easier if
one common operational approach is adopted.
JQME 3. DMAIC at Company A
14,3 The Six Sigma strategy concentrates on a simple five-phase methodology called
DMAIC. DMAIC is an acronym of the major steps within the methodology namely
define, measure, analyse, improve, control. It was decided that the DMAIC process
would form the basic foundation for the TPM strategy and hence the standard
approach for adopting the major stages of the TPM project. Each stage is explained in
264 detail in the following section of the paper.

Define
A benchmarking exercise was undertaken into the major product lines operated by the
company. The product lines were benchmarked against on-time delivery and right
first time quality levels. A gauge R R study was undertaken in order to ensure that
the measuring equipment was suitable for measuring the outgoing quality from the
processes. From the analysis of the key casting processes within the company, the
investment casting process was highlighted as the area requiring greatest attention
with scrap rates in excess of 4 per cent and on-time delivery at only 65 per cent. The
definition stage triggered the development of a TPM team within the company. This
involved the training of team members in the principles of TPM as well as the
implementation of a 5S program[1] aimed at piloting autonomous cleaning and
teamworking prior to specific and targeted maintenance projects being undertaken
within the investment casting area.

Measure
Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) was calculated on each of the machines within
the investment casting area. Also, the company measured parts throughput (parts per
hour) through the cell in order to identify whether the inefficiencies were due to the
machinery or to the operations surrounding the machinery or both. As an example,
OEE calculated for one machine was calculated at 75 per cent however parts
throughput in the cell where the machine operated in was 43 per cent less than the
theoretical throughput for that cell. Further analysis of the cell indicated that the
process surrounding the machine was at fault rather than the machine itself.
One casting cell was measured as having a throughput at 36 per cent of its
theoretical value and an OEE value of 30 per cent for the wax making machine. A
process mapping exercise confirmed that the wax-making machine was the major
cause of the low cell throughput and so this machine became the focus of the remainder
of the project.

Analyse
The OEE value was split down to its constituent parts namely; availability,
performance and quality. The results of this analysis showed that machine availability
was lowest at 34 per cent compared to performance at 94 per cent and quality at 96 per
cent. This clearly indicated that machine breakdowns and major stoppage problems
were the causal point for the poor OEE value. A fault tree analysis (FTA) was therefore
carried out by a team of engineers from within the company in order to ascertain the
root cause(s) of high machinery failure. The FTA is shown in Figure 1 and lists the
failure routes identified from the brainstorming session. Following the FTA, the
engineering team progressed to creating failure modes and effects and criticality
 Six Sigma
maintenance
model

265

Figure 1.
An FTA of the possible
factors influencing
machine performance
JQME analysis[2] (FMECA) on each of the areas identified from the failure routes on the FTA.
The FMECA allowed the company to identify the potential causes of failure, assess its
14,3 effect on the machine and process and also, and most importantly, allow for corrective
actions to be identified. The engineering team did not follow normal FMECA
convention at this stage and decided to employ individual FMECA sheets for each
potential failure mode. The benefit this gave the team was that each sheet could be
266 given to the maintenance teams in turn in order to apply the corrective action specified
in the documents. In order to prioritise the issuing of the FMECA sheets to the
maintenance teams, a Pareto analysis was constructed of the risk priority number[3]
(RPN) from each FMECA study with the higher ranked RPNs being tackled first.

Improve
Three levels of maintenance were adopted in the company in order to improve the
machines reliability. Level 1 was the introduction of shop floor autonomous
maintenance teams. These teams applied basic maintenance practices including
regular daily cleaning regimes as well as undertaking sensory maintenance tasks
(smell, sound, sight, feel etc). However, prior to this level being undertaken, it was
essential that major machinery and equipment was completely overhauled in order to
revert the machinery to its original level of reliability. This was considered to be Level
2 in the maintenance system and the work undertaken by the maintenance department.
Level 3 involved the engineering department becoming more pro-active in the
development of preventive maintenance practices including machine modification and
enhancement strategies that allow for easier maintenance etc. Level 3 work also
included the monitoring of maintenance activities and concentrating primarily on
approaches towards increasing mean time between failures (MTBF) so that higher
machine availability is achieved. The aim here is to systematically extend the mean
time between failure so that the machinery can remain productive for longer thus
providing greater return on machine performance. Table I shows the work undertaken
at each level in the maintenance system.

Control
The work undertaken by the pilot project was measured for its effectiveness before
being rolled out through the company. Machine maintenance schedules and plans were
formalized and attached to each machine. All operators were trained to undertake the
maintenance schedules and to report any issues to the maintenance teams. As a control
mechanism, it is the responsibility of the maintenance department to monitor the work
of the operators and to rectify any issues raised by the shop floor personnel.
The engineering department in turn monitored the outputs from the maintenance
department in order to identify recurring failures and issues that could be redesigned
in order to prevent future failures. The engineering team provided the technical and

Levels of maintenance operation and typical activities

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Table I. Basic cleaning Machine overhaul Machine redesign

Maintenance levels and Machine care plans Major maintenance MTBF analysis and extension
work definition Sensory maintenance Level 1 monitoring Level 2 monitoring
financial support to the maintenance department in order to facilitate the high-level Six Sigma
maintenance activities undertaken at the level 2 stage. Figure 2 shows the autonomous maintenance
team approach at each of the maintenance levels in the organization and how each level
integrate with each other. model

4. Evaluation
As part of the companys approach to improving their quality, cost and delivery 267
targets, it was decided to measure the QCD (Department of Trade and Industry, 2002)
outputs as a direct result of the SSM project. Figure 3 shows the improvements made in
each QCD area.
In this case, the benefits gained from undertaking the SSM project may be
considered idealistic when comparing the large benefits gained from a relatively small
initial financial outlay. However, the costs incurred in continuously controlling the
input variables and factors means that the monitoring costs can be large and greater
than first expected. This in turn can affect the true savings achieved from the project.
The issue of cost analysis and control is as a key consideration and its correct analysis
and interpretation is key to providing credibility to the SSM strategy within the
company.

5. Developing a Six Sigma maintenance model

Having worked to instigate a process to identify opportunities to improve quality and
reduce variability using statistical tools, further work can now be done to integrate the
DOE process throughout the existing model. The aim being to defeat the biggest
excuses cited by companies that Six Sigma is not feasible: high costs and complexity
of implementation, by extending the scope and effect of the work, emphasising the
doing elements and by simplifying the DOE exercise (most complex aspect) by
rationalising the variables using the knowledge within the company.
In addition, it helps to break down so many of the barriers that stand in the way of
individuals using statistical and/or unfamiliar problem solving methods by acting as a
step-by-step guide. Figure 4 shows the development of the proposed model.

Figure 2.
Autonomous team
structure
JQME
14,3

268

Figure 3.
Quality, cost delivery
the seven measures

The model clearly shows the major stages in the process. It shows initially the
sequential nature of the stages whereby the Six Sigma maintenance elements are used
to accurately input to the DOE stage of the main factors and interactions that have a
major impact on the performance of the system being modelled. Integration of various
stages of the model comes by way of ensuring that the objectives of the experiment are
agreed upon in the form of targets such as KPIs, e.g. process output, or business MOPs,
e.g. scrap reduction.
The next planned test of the integrated model will be to take a more pro-active
approach, in a less specific environment. Consider the customer service department for
example; a key, customer facing, facility that frequently delivers poor quality product
in terms of information presented to departments responsible for meeting customers
requirements. Successfully improving quality here will prove that quality
improvement is applicable everywhere in the business, through a systematic
approach, which, with guidance, is neither frightening nor mysterious.
 Six Sigma
maintenance
model

269

Figure 4.
Integrated Six Sigma
maintenance model
JQME 6. Managerial aspects of using the integrated model
14,3 There are many benefits of such an integrated method, but the feedback-based nature
is particularly important to the company. It means that the many opportunities already
known can be prioritised by a multi-disciplinary team considering their individual
targets, the companys goals and the effects of the expected improvement.
This in turn means that the iterative nature of the model can be used to achieve
270 optimisation and/or continuous improvement of a system, in an almost continuous
systematic approach, and hence help manage the entire business process of the
company.
As a result of the above, the model also enables the company to help identify the
need to have a multi-disciplinary team working strategically, early in the product
planning stage (Kolarik, 1995; De Mast, 2004; Thomas and Antony, 2004). Especially
relevant to company A due to their size which means that there is a particularly good
return on the time spent by the team; well managed, cost-oriented implementation
without disruption and far-reaching implications on new and existing product
specification.
Two issues emerged here:
(1) The introduction of process engineers early in the design stage provided
valuable inputs into how the cutting specification could be changed so that
quality variation could be reduced.
(2) The introduction of quality and service engineers at this stage made them an
integral part of the design function providing test data to verify the changes in
the cutting process design. This made the quality department more pro-active
in the design function and less reactive as they were traditionally used.

7. Conclusions
.
A SSM pilot study was undertaken in order to improve the quality, cost and
delivery measures of the company. In all measures, the SSM project achieved
significant improvements.
.
This relatively simple application of SSM using a structured DMAIC technique
should allow for increased use of the methodology for tackling many
maintenance issues. Likewise, the results can also provide the stimulus for the
wider application of the technique to create process improvements at relatively
lower costs.
.
The application of the SSM approach to the castings department achieved
savings in excess of 200,000 for an initial outlay of less than 4,000 in
experimental and project costs.
.
The development of the SSM approach developed a culture towards continuous
improvement and the systematic implementation of the system throughout the
organisation.
.
The application of the SSM approach allowed the company to develop advanced
systems mapping and analysis techniques and to become generally more
technical in their approach to problem solving.
Notes Six Sigma
1. 5S A systematic process of workplace cleaning and maintenance: sort, sanitize, stabilize, maintenance
systematize, sustain.
2. FMECA An advanced planning technique aimed at systematically assessing all the
model
potential failures of a machine and the potential impact (criticality) of the failure on a human
and/or the system.
3. RPN risk priority number. A numerical method of analysing the failure mode and its effect 271
on the system. RPN Severity Occurrence Detection.

References
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in the manufacturing environment, Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Vol. 3
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Department of Trade and Industry (2002), Achieving best practice in your business QCD
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Kolarik, W.J. (1995), Creating Quality: Concepts, Systems, Strategies and Tools, McGraw-Hill,
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Jens, O., Riis, J., Luxhj, T. and Thorsteinsson, U. (1997), A situational maintenance model,
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Corresponding author
Andrew Thomas can be contacted at: thomasaj3@cardiff.ac.uk

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