Autonomous Maintenance (AM) is a core principle of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) that empowers frontline operators to take responsibility for the health of their machines. While engineers and maintenance technicians remain crucial, AM allows operators to become the first line of defence against machine failures, ensuring quicker response times, better reliability, and a more engaged workforce.
In this article, we’ll dive into the key principles of Autonomous Maintenance, explore real-world applications, and discuss how Solvace enables seamless AM integration across your manufacturing operations.
What is Autonomous Maintenance (AM)?
Autonomous Maintenance (AM) is a strategy that involves operators performing maintenance tasks on the machines they work with every day. These tasks can include:
- • Understanding how their machines function and how to maintain them safely
- • Cleaning, lubricating, and inspecting equipment
- • Monitoring performance and identifying abnormalities
- • Conducting simple repairs or adjustments
- • Taking ownership of early-stage maintenance issues
Rather than waiting for a maintenance technician to notice a fault, operators actively engage with their equipment, ensuring issues are caught before they lead to costly downtime or breakdowns.
Why AM is a Game-Changer
Autonomous Maintenance doesn’t just reduce maintenance costs—it transforms the entire approach to machine reliability. Key benefits include:
- • Faster Issue Detection: Operators are more familiar with their machines, enabling them to spot problems early.
- • Better Equipment Reliability: Regular checks and preventative actions help keep machines in their basic conditions, running at peak performance.
- • Increased Operator Engagement: Empowering operators to take ownership boosts morale and promotes a sense of pride in the work.
- • Reduced Downtime: Proactive maintenance reduces the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns.
- • Shift from Reactive to Proactive Maintenance: Instead of fixing equipment after failure, you’re stopping problems before they escalate. This also allows maintenance technicians to focus on value-added activities that extend component life and improve overall equipment reliability.
Incorporating AM into your strategy can make a huge impact on both operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
How to Implement AM: 7 steps
Implementing Autonomous Maintenance (AM) requires a structured approach that engages operators and enhances machine reliability. These 7 steps are crucial for ensuring optimal performance and reducing unplanned downtime.
- Restore Basic Conditions
The first step to successful Autonomous Maintenance is to restore basic conditions in your equipment and work area. This includes cleaning machines, ensuring proper lubrication, and ensuring your environment is conducive to machine performance.
- Eliminate Source of Contamination
Contamination can seriously impact machine performance. This step focuses on identifying and eliminating contamination sources, such as oil leaks, dirt, and dust, that affect machinery.
- Establish CIL Standard (Cleaning, Inspection, Lubrication)
The CIL standard defines the basic daily tasks for operators—cleaning, inspecting, and lubricating machinery—to ensure they are maintained properly. This step involves developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for these tasks.
- Operator Technical Training
With basic tasks in place, operators need to be trained in technical skills to handle more advanced maintenance responsibilities. This step ensures that operators understand the equipment, can troubleshoot effectively, and perform repairs as needed.
- ECRS (Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify)
The ECRS method helps optimise maintenance tasks by eliminating unnecessary steps, combining related tasks, rearranging them for efficiency, and simplifying complicated processes.
- Standardise Tasks and Maintenance Procedure
Standardisation ensures consistency in task execution, regardless of the operator. This step involves documenting maintenance tasks and setting defined schedules for when they should be completed.
- Autonomous Management
The final step in AM is to transition to Autonomous Management, where operators are given full responsibility for the machines they maintain, and the focus shifts to continuous improvement through data-driven decisions.
Solvace’s Role in Autonomous Maintenance
While the principles of Autonomous Maintenance are well-established, the digital tools to support them haven’t always been available. Solvace helps digitise and streamline AM with advanced features designed to enhance operator engagement, traceability, and real-time decision-making.
Task Automation & Reminders
Automate recurring maintenance tasks and send reminders to operators on their devices. Never miss a scheduled inspection or lubrication cycle again.
Data Integration & Monitoring
Integrate machine data to monitor performance metrics such as temperature, vibration, and wear. Solvace collects this data and presents it to operators for easy, actionable insights.
Actionable Insights & Escalation
When operators identify a potential issue, they can log it in the system with photos and descriptions. If further action is required, it’s automatically escalated to the appropriate maintenance or management team.
Mobile Accessibility for Shopfloor Users
Empower operators on the floor with mobile access to AM checklists, performance data, and maintenance logs.
Final Thought: The Future of Maintenance is Autonomous
Autonomous Maintenance isn’t just a trend—it’s the future of operational excellence. By empowering your frontline operators with the tools and training they need to take control of their equipment, you’ll see fewer breakdowns, lower costs, and a more motivated workforce. With Solvace, you can digitise and scale AM for maximum impact, giving you a real-time view of your equipment’s health.
