Golden Rules for TPM #07：Anyone Can Understand by "Visualization" Using Maps

TPM Golden Rules 

Maps are a versatile tool to promote visualization. It allows anyone to see where defects are, where improvements need to be made, where inspections need to be conducted, etc. at a glance.

What is a visualization map?

A map is something that shows where things are located. When you visit a sightseeing spot, you will see maps with pictures of famous sights and places to eat.

In the same way, a visualization map is completed by attaching photos and charts to a general view of the facility so that you can identify important points, such as defective areas and unsafe areas at a glance.

Let's make a Kaizen map

By showing the sources of equipment defects and contamination on a map, anyone can see them. It is also effective to identify on the map the locations where it is difficult to place a tag.

Once the defects have been restored or improved, the improvement map can be created by lining up photos of the improved areas. It can also be used as an educational material if you include numerical values and more specific comments about what was causing trouble, what became easier with the Kaizen, and how productivity was increased.

Make a map of inspection, lubrication and unsafe areas as well

Unlike ordinary lists, maps provide information on locations at a glance. For example, if we make a map of where to go for inspections and lubrications, and in what order, even newcomers will be able to do the same as what veterans do.

In addition, if you make a map of all the places where disasters/accidents have occurred in the past and all the unsafe places, you can use it as a safety map to prevent disasters/accidents

What you can see when you overlay the maps

For example, let's overlay a map of short stoppages on a line with a safety map. Perhaps some of the occurrence locations may overlap. You may then see that the restoration work of the short stoppages is connected to insecure behaviors which may correlate to the cause of accidents. In other words, we may thus find that to reduce accidents, you need to reduce short stoppages.