Water & Waste Water Utility company in the UK, serving 1.4 million homes and businesses. The company assets include 26,000 KM of water mains, 30,000 KM of sewers, and 838 sewage treatment works.
As part of a wider Lean programme, this organisation identified an opportunity to address the reliability and productivity of its assets through a TPM programme. Two sites were selected for a pilot study as they had the highest reactive costs and the biggest issues in relation to reliability. Both sites had significant high value capital intense physical assets.
We began with an initial diagnostic and scoping study to set the foundation for the transformation. This included gaining site-wide buy-in to the approach and process. A Value Stream Mapping exercise was conducted at both pilot sites, followed by the creation of Asset Optimization Project Charters and governance plans with the team. We developed and aligned standards and skills, ensuring knowledge sharing across the site. A perception survey was undertaken with all site teams, uncovering misconceptions around maintenance processes, such as spare management, which were contributing to extended asset downtime. Hands-on, 4-day TPM practitioner training workshops were delivered to build capability. The pilot program rollout included communication boards at each site to display data and project updates. An evidence-based audit and review process was established to track progress. Finally, we emphasized the importance of communication by celebrating quick wins and highlighting longer-term successes.
The program delivered significant cost savings and operational improvements over its duration. An estimated £600,000 was saved in the first three years, with one pilot site reducing maintenance costs by £150,000 between 2015 and 2018. The site experienced no breakdowns over the last 22 months, resulting in lower costs for “bought-in” services. Asset performance also improved, with OEE increasing by over 33% during the program. The team set an ambitious target of achieving £1.5 million in savings by the end of 2021, which they are on track to meet.
Total Productive Manufacturing
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