Increased machine availability in a plastic injection molding plant through the implementation of TPM and Lean Manufacturing tools: An Empirical Research in Peru

Authors

Vega-Alvites, Melanie

Quiroz-Flores, Juan Carlos

Abstract

The plastic industry in recent years has experienced considerable growth due to increased demand from sectors such as construction and transportation. This sector represents 4% of the industrial GDP, generates more than 200,000 jobs in the country and is considered the fifth most innovative industrial activity. However, recent studies show that companies belonging to this sector are operating with a low utilization rate (71.5%), which is caused by various factors such as low availability of machines and high production change times. of the different lines with which they operate. This problem causes the non-compliance of orders and delays in the deliveries of the products, as a consequence of which the dissatisfaction of the clients and their loss, in addition to incurring high production costs due to the reprocesses generated. In this context, in order to solve the problem identified, a maintenance management model based on Lean Manufacturing is proposed, which integrates the tools of SMED, TPM, 5S and Jidoka. The model was validated in a company dedicated to the injection molding of plastic products, which presents problems of low availability. With the application of the proposed model, an improvement in the general efficiency of the equipment from 57% to 68% was obtained. With the results obtained, it is concluded that this model could increase efficiency and therefore the utilization rate of companies in the plastics sector.