Project definition and goals
Audi is busy optimizing the production process in the Assembly department at Audi Brussels in order to see its expansion into one of the most productive sites within the Audi and Volkswagen group. There has been a culture of continuous improvement at this factory since 2010, but in order to continue being one of Audi's most successful sites, new methods were needed.
Project approach
One of the methods used is Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), a tool which PDM helped to implement at the start of 2014 to improve the availability of the systems and prevent unnecessary work from being carried out. Responsible for the management of this tool are project groups consisting of employees from production, maintenance, and planning. They meet daily or weekly to discuss the themes for improvement. This has enabled employees with a range of different expertises to come together to collaborate. In order to secure the success of the TPM method, it was also necessary to manage behavioural change.
Project results
- Vast improvements have been made
since TPM was first implemented. Maintenance workers have noticed that they
have fewer operational tasks. The time they previously spent troubleshooting
malfunctions can now be used to make continuous improvements and analyses and
introduce new technologies.
- So far, more than 500 themes have
been completed and there has been a dramatic fall in the number of different
machine malfunctions. This has led to a significant increase in technical
availability as a whole within eighteen months, making it possible to produce
more vehicles per shift than before.
The improvements made as a result
of TPM are showing an increasing trend.
