Part of the company's TPM approach
is aimed at relieving operators of the
need to disrupt their work to attend to
machine breakdowns or maintenance
activities. "The responsibility for routine
maintenance should fall to the team
leader," Noone explains.
"We want a situation where the operator
can concentrate on standard work and,
if something goes wrong, they use an
andon cord to alert the team leader to
the problem." Elsewhere, the company
continues to adopt practices developed
and refined by its parent group. The latest
of these is a certification system created as
part of the Altra Business System.
"There are two levels of certification –
silver and gold – and they can be applied
to individual manufacturing cells or entire
value streams," explains Noone.
To achieve certification, the cell or line
must demonstrate that it has achieved
12 specific objectives, including proven
problem solving skills, a suitably qualified
and experienced team leader and a
support network of maintenance and
other personnel. Huco's first cell-level
certifications are now taking place, and the
company is moving towards certification
of full value streams for key