Implementing Total
Productive Maintenance at
B.A.T. Niemeyer
Master Thesis
University of Groningen
Faculty of Economics and Business Technology Management
Author: Menno Burkunk
Student Number: 1271059
Company: British American Tobacco Niemeyer
First Supervisor: Drs. J. Veldman Second Supervisor: Dr. Ir. W. Klingenberg
Company Supervisor: Willy Smink (Quality Manager)
Date: September 2009
Preface
This research report that is written for British American Tobacco Niemeyer in Groningen and forms the final Master Thesis of my study Technology Management at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. BAT Niemeyer is a producer of shag and the company is exporting shag to more than 120 countries all over the world. Samson, Lucky Strike, Javaanse Jongens and Pall Mall form their driving brands. The research was interesting, challenging, sometimes complex but above all very instructive. Moreover, the research let me experience the pleasant and open business culture of BAT Niemeyer in which I quickly felt at home.
From BAT Niemeyer I would like to thank Willy Smink (Quality & Product Assurance Manager) and Hugo Timmerman (Business Services Manager) for giving me the opportunity to conduct this research. They supplied me with all the necessary resources I needed to do my research. In my own office with the great view I already felt like a manager. Willy, in spite of his tight schedule, always found time, energy and patience to give me useful feedback and have long and fruitful discussions with me. When I was inclined to take the wrong direction on the road of my research he sent me the right way. Furthermore, I would like to thank my colleagues at the Business Services Department for being a very nice company during my stay. They were always very interested and provided me with the necessary information and pleasant distraction. From the manufacturing site I would like to thank all the employees who were willing to cooperate and provide me with the needed information. Without their help this research could not succeed. Finally, I would like to thank all other colleagues at BAT Niemeyer I did not mention or forgot to mention.
From the university I would like to thank Jasper Veldman and Warse Klingenberg for being my mentors during this research. Jasper, who guided and supported me during the whole research, always provided me with clear, accurate and quick feedback and learned me how to do academic research and to stay critical. He helped me to stay focused and work in a structured manner. Thanks for that!
Finally, I want to thank my friends and family. In particular my sister, Jurriaan and off course my girlfriend for their support and trust in me. A special last thanks goes to my parents, who unconditionally support and coach me.
By finalizing my thesis a fantastic time as a student in Groningen has ended. Menno Burkunk
Executive Summary
In spite of the initiation of a TPM program at BAT Niemeyer the results are not as expected. The equipment-efficiency measured by BAT Niemeyer hardly increased since the start of the program. Now, the reorganization, “Horizon”, has been carried out the focus will be on the TPM implementation again.
In order to focus the research on the biggest shortcomings of BAT Niemeyer within TPM an assessment is done in a preliminary investigation. The TPM principles ‘cultural awareness’ and ‘elimination of losses’ were indicated with the lowest scores.
The objective of the main investigation is to expose the causes of the low scores on these principles and subsequently formulate recommendations in order to achieve an structural improved implementation of these principles. The improvement will result in an increase in the Overall Equipment Efficiency.
The creation of employee commitment turned out to be essential within ‘cultural awareness’. By creating commitment, the behavior of employees will change in such a manner that it will align with the rules of TPM. Intangible factors such as involvement, ownership, and understanding are the key issues in obtaining commitment. Hansson and Backlund (2003) identified ‘enabling activities’ that influence intangible factors and affect commitment. A survey, based on the model, was carried out under 38 shop floor workers in order to determine the current level of TPM commitment and the current performance of the ‘enabling activities’. The current level of TPM commitment at BAT Niemeyer is insufficient (2,8 on 1-5 scale). The enabling activities turned out to be underperformed (means between 2,4 and 3,6 on 1-5 scale) by middle- and top management. Measuring & Evaluation, Communication & Information and Empowerment activities were statistically proven to be of significant influence on employee commitment by a Multiple Regression Analysis.
to improvement goals. By setting their own goals for improvement responsibility will increase. Bad behavior must not be tolerated by management and achieved goals have to be rewarded.
Causes of a low integration of ‘elimination of losses’ principle were searched in shortcomings in the performance of the defined steps in the elimination of losses process. First, the use of model machine can be very useful for BAT Niemeyer. Resources for improvement can be focused on one machine instead of using a ‘big bang’ strategy. Quick and visible benefits will increase the motivation and trust in TPM. The machine can form the guideline for the replication of improvements over the factory to the other, mainly similar, machines. Furthermore, the measurement of the OEE needs to be improved. It is inaccurate and labor intensive. The employees do not trust the OEE output and are unmotivated to work with it. The current OEE measurement cannot form the basis for actions of improvement. A cross-functional so called Focused-Improvement team (FI-team) has to be formed which will drive improvements in the factory. It is in charge of leading the improvement plans and is responsible for establishing lines of action, priorities and tracking activities related to the TPM master plan. The production-, quality- or TPM manager coordinates or leads the group. The FI-team aims at maximal engagement of all area employees and links the knowledge existing within the different teams. Finally, working processes have to be defined in Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Structural losses have a frequent existence and their causes are locked in the organization’s structure which is made up out of standards. By defining work processes in SOP’s a certain situation can be fixed. Which means that a certain level of equipment-efficiency can be fixed. Then, by using creativity and innovation ability these standards can be improved and embedded in the organization by defining a new standard. In this way frequently executed activities like e.g. a tobacco set-up can be optimized and losses of expensive production time will be minimized. A central database with SOP’s has to be created and kept up-to-date.
Besides, these improvements it is essential to take down the workload and take care of covering manpower. Due to the recent reorganization the pressure of workload is relatively high and now and then manpower is insufficient. By taking down the workload pressure the focus can be placed more on TPM again.
Table of Contents
Preface ...3
Executive Summary ...4
Table of Contents ...6
Abbreviations ...9
1
Introduction ...10
1.1 The history of British American Tobacco Niemeyer B.V. ... 10
1.2 BAT Niemeyer’s mission and characteristics ... 12
1.3 Production process ... 13
1.3.1 The primary manufacturing process (preparation) ... 13
1.3.2 The secondary manufacturing process (packing) ... 14
1.4 Production organization ... 14
1.5 Improvement of production process ... 15
1.5.1 Approach ... 15
1.5.2 Results ... 16
2
Problem analysis and research plan ...16
2.1 Problem analysis... 17
2.2 Research plan ... 17
2.3 Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) ... 18
2.3.1 Characteristics and objectives ... 19
2.3.2 Conditions for application ... 20
2.3.3 Principles of TPM ... 20
3.1.1 Description of the TPM assessment tool ... 25 3.1.2 Respondents ... 25 3.2 Results ... 25 3.3 Conclusions ... 27
4
Main investigation ...28
4.1 Objectives ... 28 4.2 Research questions ... 28 4.3 Sub-questions ... 294.4 Method of main investigation ... 29
4.5 Research boundary ... 30
5
Theoretical framework ...31
5.1 Cultural awareness ... 31
5.2 Elimination of losses ... 34
6
Diagnosis within the ‘Cultural Awareness’ principle ...40
6.1 Method of the survey ... 40
6.2 Analysis of the data ... 42
6.3 Survey results ... 45
6.3.1 Mean scores of the questionnaire items ... 45
6.3.2 Descriptive statistics & Cronbach’s Alpha ... 45
6.3.3 Summary of the questionnaire results ... 49
6.4 Multiple Regression analysis ... 51
6.5 Conclusions ... 56
7
Diagnosis within the ‘Elimination of Losses’ principle ...57
7.1 Selection of a model machine ... 57
7.2 OEE measurement & target setting ... 58
7.4 Embedding of improvements in standards ... 62
7.5 Conclusions ... 63
8
Recommendations ...64
8.1 Improvement of the ‘cultural awareness’ ... 64
8.1.1 Measuring & Evaluation ... 64
8.1.2 Communication & Information... 66
8.1.3 Empowerment ... 67
8.2 Improvement of the ‘elimination of losses’ process ... 67
8.2.1 Selection of a model machine ... 67
8.2.2 OEE measurement & target setting ... 68
8.2.3 Determination of the causes of losses & creating improvements... 69
8.2.4 Embedding of improvements in standards ... 69
9
Conclusions & Recommendations ...70
References ...71
Appendices ...74
Appendix 1: TPM Assessment tool ... 74
Appendix 2: ‘Cultural Awareness’ Questionnaire ... 79
Appendix 3: Questionnaire Results ... 82
Abbreviations
AGP Finished products department
BAT / B.A.T. British American Tobacco
CBM Condition-based Maintenance
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
FI-team Focused Improvement-team
FTS Factory Technical Support
MUBA Mean Units Between Assistance
OEE Overall Equipment Efficiency
OTS Operational Technical Support
PT Production Technician
PMD Primary Manufacturing Department
SMD Secondary Manufacturing Department
SOP Standard Operating Procedures
TPM Total Productive Maintenance
1
Introduction
1.1
The history of British American Tobacco Niemeyer B.V.
The founder of the company is Meindert Niemeyer. He was born in 1793 and was educated in business. In 1819 he started a shop/workshop where colonial products were sold and tobacco was made. The business went well. In 1848 his son Theodorus Niemeyer started to take care over the business.
Soon it became clear that Theodorus was a capable business man. A few years later he started a tobacco factory and used very innovative machines. In the factory he produced his own brand “Het Wapen van Rotterdam” and after a while he started to produce brands for other distributors as well. In 1874 Theodorus Niemeyer bought tobacco factory “De Bijenkorf” and in 1887 the brand “De Tabakshandel” was added. Niemeyer produced these brands till 1920. During the 19th century the company was still selling other non-tobacco products, like Java koffiebonen (coffee beans), Zeeuwse Chocolade (chocolate), tea and liquor.
In 1880 Theodorus’ son Willem became co owner of the company. Again the tobacco business went very well and in 1890 they stopped producing coffee and tea. From that time on they focused totally on producing and selling tobacco. In 1893 Theodorus retired. His two sons, Willem and Albert Willem, went on with the business.
In the upcoming years the first steps for export were already made. In 1897 a warehouse was bought, especially for mechanized wrapping of tobacco for export.
In 1904 opened a new factory at the Paterswoldseweg, next to the train station at the southwest side of Groningen. In that time the factory was located outside the cultivated bowl, but due to the growth of the city the factory nowadays lies completely within the city. In the meanwhile the company kept growing. Lots of small companies like “De Schaapschoe”, “Onnes” and “Pfeiffer” were bought. During the 19th century “Het Wapen van Rotterdam” was the best sold brand of Niemeyer. In the beginning of the 20th century “Rood Krul Wapen” became the best sold brand. In that time “Samson” was already one of the export brands. In the time between the two World Wars “Roode Ster” was the most sold tobacco brand.
After the crisis in 1929 (crash of Wall Street) the management of Niemeyer decided to stop the production of cigarettes. However, the selling of shag and pipe tobacco kept rising. The market for these products of Niemeyer was getting bigger. In the beginning of the 20th century the market was restricted to the northern region of the Netherlands. After the 1st World War the company became one of the largest tobacco producers in the country and also the export was strongly rising.
Logically, the 2nd World War resulted in a major setback in business activities. A shortage of raw materials arose, the factory got damaged and a lot of employees were taken to work for the Germans. One of the directors, Willem August Theodorus Niemeyer, was deported and died in 1945 in a German concentration camp.
After the 2nd World War the business activities were slowly starting up again. The production machines had become obsolete, there wasn’t sufficient foreign currency to buy raw materials and lots of other products were still very scarce. Due to the Marshall help the Dutch situation in general became better and Niemeyer recaptured its position in the market. In these years a lot of people started smoking cigarettes instead of other tobacco products. Niemeyer restarted the cigarette production in 1950 with “Roxy” as their main brand. In the sixties “Sterling” and “Samson” were the main shag brands and in the pipe tobacco assortment “Clan, Holland House, Sail and Zephyr” were the best selling products. Nowadays the driving shag brands are Samson, Lucky Strike, Javaanse Jongens and Pall Mall. The company is exporting shag to more than 120 countries all over the world.
In the period after the war the company was continuously extended. The international relations with other companies also increased. In countries like Canada, France and Germany selling departments were established.
In 1969, when the company has its 150th anniversary, Theodorus Niemeyer B.V. becomes the predicate “Koninklijke” (royal).
In 1974, Koninklijke Theodorus Niemeyer B.V. becomes part of the English Gallaher Ltd.
In 1990, Koninklijke Theodorus Niemeyer B.V. is sold by Gallaher Ltd. To Rothmans International. In 1999, Rothmans International becomes part of British American Tobacco (BAT). And so, Koninklijke Theodorus Niemeyer becomes part of British American Tobacco. Within BAT a separate business unit “Smoking Tobacco and Cigars” (STC) exists. Niemeyer becomes an important part of it.
The company stops making pipe tobacco and cigars to reduce complexity. From this moment on shag will be the only product that is made at BAT Niemeyer.
British American Tobacco is the second tobacco producer worldwide. The head office is located in London and BAT is operating in over 180 countries. They have a 16.8% worldwide market share with a portfolio of 300 brands. Well known international brands are: Pall Mall, Dunhill, Lucky Strike, Kent, State Express 555, Benson & Hedges, Kool, Viceroy and Winfield. BAT has leadership in more than 50 countries and they employ over 53.000 people. They cooperate with more than 250.000 tobacco farmers. In 2006 the cigarettes sales volume was 689 billion and in 2007 BAT made a £2.905 million profit.
1.2
BAT Niemeyer’s mission and characteristics
Mission
According to the Company Plan 2009 the long term mission of BAT Niemeyer is “Maximizing our contribution to BAT”. Worldwide, BAT Niemeyer wants to be the prime OTP-producer for BAT and providing a sustainable base for their workforce.
Characteristics
In 2008 BAT Niemeyer produced 12.6 million kilograms of shag divided over 250 different types of shag products for more then 40 countries all over the world. With about 340 employees (+/-180 directly related to production) BAT Niemeyer is a medium sized production company within the tobacco business.
At the head of the company there is a Managing Director. As shown in the figure below the company is divided into 7 departments and every department has a manager at the head of it. The department managers report to the Managing Director. The department managers and the Managing Director together form the so called Leadership Team (LT) of BAT Niemeyer.
Finance Business
Services Supply Chain Manufacturing
Quality & Product Assurance Product Development Human Resource Managing Director
1.3
Production process
The core process of BAT Niemeyer can be divided in two main parts:
1. Primary manufacturing department (PMD): preparation of the tobacco 2. Secondary manufacturing department (SMD): packing of the shag The figure below is a schematic view of the production process.
Figure 2: Production process (schematic)
1.3.1 The primary manufacturing process (preparation)
The tobacco blend, which is related to the different shag brands and types, is a mélange containing several different types of raw tobacco. The selection of these types of tobacco is done by “product development” and “Leaf”. To guarantee a constant “product perception” for the customer a very delicate process is designed. It starts with the selection of tobacco leafs in different countries all over the world and ends with the drying of the tobacco (curen) in a typical manner. In a brand like Samson the mélange contains about 21 different types of tobacco.
The preparation of a batch is selected and transported from the “raw tobacco’ storage. At this stage of the process the tobacco has a 12% humidity and can be compared with dry leafs in autumn. The batches of raw tobacco are being transported by a transportation system to a conditioning machine in which the humidity will rise. For the production of shag it is important that the leafs are not being damaged before they are being cut into long, thin wires. After conditioning the humidity of the leafs is high enough to take the next step of the process. In this stage the tobacco is sauced and transported to a silo. During this journey the tobacco’s humidity is raised again for further processing.
in the same direction. By doing this the stalk of the leaf can be cut in small pieces which results in a higher quality of end-product. When the leafs are cut the tobacco is lead through a drying and cooling machine to realize the aimed humidity. In some cases a flavor is added. The flavor machine is the last station.
Then the tobacco is packed into aluminum bins and brought to the tobacco attic, where it will stay for at least 24 hours. The humidity of the tobacco will now be between 19% and 27% (brand dependent). This process of preparation is mainly mechanically automated. Human activity (related to the processed kilos of tobacco) is very low and is mainly concentrated on steering the process.
1.3.2 The secondary manufacturing process (packing)
The end-product is a composition of different packing materials, the tobacco itself, and added substances. In the market, on end-user level, there are several packing units; the pouch (laminate or paper-insert), the block pack and the cardboard (can). The diversity of the packing machines equals the diversity of the packing materials.
When a certain batch is scheduled for packing the needed packing materials are already transported from inventory storage to the factory floor. The ingredients of an end-product are formulated in a BOM (bill of materials). The associated blend is thrown directly from the tobacco attic into the packing machine. The packing machine automatically packs, labels (tax banderoles) and weighs the products. Then the units are packed in a transport box by a case packer and transported automatically to the ‘finished product’ department (AGP). Here the boxes are sent to storage or prepared for transport if they are part of a customer order.
1.4
Production organization
Figure 3: Organization structure of the manufacturing department after project “Horizon”
All the teams contain a Production Technician (PT), an All-round Operator and operators. The PT serves as technical support in the team and also functions as a production operator. The former engineering and maintenance tasks are now divided over the team PT’s, the Operational Technical Support (OTS) and the Factory Technical Support (FTS). Operators will also carry out simple maintenance tasks. OTS is mainly occupied with process improvement, control techniques and training & education for the team members. FTS is responsible for projects and maintenance support.
1.5
Improvement of production process
1.5.1 Approach
Because of decreasing sale volumes and increasing pressure on margins BAT Niemeyer was obliged to produce more effective and efficient. They are operating in a market with high price elasticity. Setting higher prices for the end customer will result in a relative high loss in sale volumes or losses in market share. Because of this BAT Niemeyer’s focus is on reducing costs to enlarge their profit margin on the products. The production process at BAT Niemeyer can be counted to the semi-process industry. High investments in expensive production machines are typical for organizations in this industry. These production machines play an essential role in the process and a maximum utilization of the machine park is desired.
Several years ago Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is chosen by BAT Niemeyer as one of the means to achieve this. TPM is a team based maintenance strategy which is developed to maximize the equipment-efficiency of the production machines. By realizing a better occupation of the machines one can produce a higher volume in the same time span. The cost price will decrease and with equal selling prices the profit margins will rise. Another with coming advantage is a shorter cycle time. Because of this shorter cycle time one can produce more flexible and will be able to deliver the products faster.
1.5.2 Results
In spite of the initiation of a TPM program the results are not as expected. The equipment-efficiency measured by BAT Niemeyer hardly increased since the start of the program. According to the data from the organization several machines in the production process (e.g. mini-factory 1) are having an efficiency around 50%. Ahlmann’s (1993) investigation showed a mean equipment-efficiency around 60% in organizations in the Swedish industries. According to Nakajima (1989), the founder of TPM, it is not unusual that identical companies implementing TPM reach an equipment-efficiency of 90%. Moreover, cases were results stay away are not a rare phenomenon. According to Shaffer & Thomson (1992) the majority of the investigated organizations which implemented (at least tried to) TPM gained no or little results.
The management of BAT Niemeyer wants to reach a higher equipment-efficiency of the production machines (and so an increased productivity) by means of an improved implementation of TPM within the organization. Shortcomings in the implementation of TPM will have a negative impact on the results. In concrete terms these are losses in the equipment-efficiency of the production machines (Chan et al., 2005; Sharma et al., 2006).
2.1
Problem analysis
According to the management of BAT Niemeyer TPM is not implemented properly in the current situation, resulting in a relatively low equipment-effectiveness in different parts of the production process. For the management it is difficult to assign a concrete cause to the failure, but it is clear for them that, especially on team level, TPM is insufficiently embedded in the organization. In the new organization structure (see chapter 1.3.3) the teams are responsible for controlling and carrying out the process. The efficiency of the process should be consolidated and improved.
The management is wondering why the initiated TPM program at BAT Niemeyer still does not result in an increase in the equipment-efficiency. But probably even more important: which actions have to be taken by BAT Niemeyer to obtain the desired results? This investigation is aimed at finding the answer to this question.
2.2
Research plan
In the current situation a discrepancy is expected to exist between the integration of TPM at BAT Niemeyer and how it should be integrated in the desired situation according to the TPM theory. This discrepancy has a negative influence on the equipment-efficiency and therefore it should be minimized. To achieve this several steps have to be taken. First, the shortcomings of BAT Niemeyer in functioning according to the prescriptions of TPM have to be determined. Then, the exact causes of these shortcomings have to be identified. When the causes of the shortcomings in TPM at BAT Niemeyer are determined, recommendations can be formulated to improve the situation.
Considering the time span of the investigation it will not be possible to investigate all the shortcomings within TPM at BAT Niemeyer in detail. Because of this reason a preliminary investigation will be carried out to expose the most severe shortcomings of BAT Niemeyer within TPM. These aspects of TPM are less developed at BAT Niemeyer and have the highest potential for improvement. The preliminary investigation will find an answer to the following research question:
Figure 4: The preliminary investigation; determination of the discrepancy in the 7 principles of TPM
Figure 4 shows that the shortcomings of BAT Niemeyer in the current situation will be tested based on different ‘principles of TPM’. An assessment will be conducted in order to determine the degree in which BAT Niemeyer works according to the prescriptions of TPM. The assessment tool is developed within the University of Groningen (RUG). The assessment tool has two goals: first of all, it gives the user insight to what degree the activities on the shop floor align with TPM and to what extent TPM has penetrated the site. Secondly, it gives the user insight where TPM is not integrated, or insufficient, and where action has to be taken to improve the situation.
2.3
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
2.3.1 Characteristics and objectives
TPM originated in 1971 in Japan. It is based on the American concept of ‘preventive maintenance’, which is developed in the 60’s. From that moment on maintenance was not seen as an expense anymore, but as a way to generate more profit. The Japanese ‘Nippon Denso’ was the one who adopted the concept of the Americans and added the ‘T’ from ‘Total’ to it. According to the founder of TPM, Nakajima, the definition of ‘Total’ in TPM can be formulated in three different ways:
1. Total efficiency of all the equipment in the organization;
2. total maintenance system for all the installations during their life cycle; 3. total cooperation of all the employees in the organization.
TPM strives to an increase of the productivity by improving the performance of the production equipment. Productivity is the relation between effort and revenues, between input and output. Input can be defined as labor, as capital, as raw materials, it concerns the total input. The output is formed by finished products. As a result of TPM both labor productivity and the return on investments will be influenced positively.
The TPM concept consists out of the following five elements (Nakajima, 1988): 1. TPM strives to maximization of the equipment-efficiency;
2. TPM establishes a thorough preventive maintenance system during the whole lifecycle of the equipment;
3. TPM is integrated within several departments in the organization;
4. TPM involves all the employees, from top management to the shop floor workers;
5. TPM is an aggressive strategy which is focused on the improvement of the function and design of the production equipment.
According to Aalders (1996) TPM is focused on all the activities related to the equipment which influence the equipment-efficiency. It focuses also on the activities that take place outside the ‘available time for production’, like planned maintenance, modifications and constructing new equipment. Because of the strong focus on ‘ownership’, TPM is often associated with strong involvement on the shop floor. Teams will become “owners” of the equipment which implies a true cultural change. The separation between controlling (operator) and repairing (mechanic) is being raised and the teams will together become responsible for the functioning of the machine.
demands a horizontal structure in stead of conventional vertical structure which contains to much authorities.
As mentioned earlier, TPM strives to the maximization of the equipment-effectiveness. The most common manner to measure this effectiveness is using the metric called Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE). The OEE is calculated according to three parameters of the installation: the Availability (A), the Efficiency (E) and the Quality (Q). (A) is a measure for the time that the installation is available for production, (E) is a measure for the time that the machine actually produces and (Q) is a measure for the amount of good produced products. By multiplying the parameters the OEE is calculated;
OEE= A * E * Q (Oechsner et al., 2003).
2.3.2 Conditions for application
In order to make TPM successful, an organization first has to comply with three conditions (Nakajima, 1988):
1. Yaruki: improvement of employee motivation; 2. Yaruude: improvement of employee skills;
3. Yaruba: improvement of employee working environment.
An implementation of TPM without firstly complying with the above conditions is doomed to fail. A dangerous aspect of a TPM failure is the possibility that it will produce a negative association of it among the employees. A negative association with TPM will hamper a successful implementation in the future. To achieve results with TPM the whole organization, form top management to shop floor workers, has to support the philosophy. Especially in the start-up phase it is important to create commitment under the employees, but also further on in the process it will be essential.
2.3.3 Principles of TPM
The assessment is based on a categorization of TPM into 7 different principles (Hoondert, 1997). The principles will now be discussed.
Cultural awareness
Cultural awareness under the employees forms a condition for a successful implementation of TPM. TPM requires a narrow cooperation between different departments within the organization. When implementing TPM two aspects are of great importance (Aalders, 1993):
1. during the implementation the behavior of the involved ones has to be changed in such a way that it aligns with the prescriptions of TPM;
The desired behavior contains: sticking to agreements, working conform standards, supporting employees, identifying shortcomings and working in formal groups. The objective of TPM claims continuous improvement of all the employees. Everyone in the organization contributes individually to the goals of the organization. It is clearly a matter of major concern that every individual within the organization supports the TPM philosophy to make it successful. To obtain this awareness the management should actively propagate the principles of TPM.
5S
5S is focused on eliminating the losses in a workplace by organizing the workplace in an arranged and clean manner. On the workplace all the needed equipment, materials and tools have a fixed place. There is a place for everything, and everything is in its place. Time spent searching for a part is eliminated. 5S is originated in Japan. The 5S stands for:
Sort (seiri); Set in order (seiton); Shine / Sweep (seiso); Standardize (seiketsu); Sustain (shitsuku).
The steps have to be executed in the preceding order. The majority of the principles are based on the fact that workplaces are organized according to the 5S principle. For this reason, 5S forms, just like cultural awareness, an important condition to make TPM successful.
Training & Education
Training and Education is also a principle which is of major importance during the first phase of the TPM implementation. Knowledge need to have knowledge about the basic principles of TPM. The training of the employees, and operators in particular, is of importance within TPM because the range of tasks will be extended. By means of training the employees will be enabled to satisfy the specific requirements set by TPM. Without proper training an operator is for example not able to carry out maintenance tasks.
An additional advantage of training and educating of the operators is the motivating aspect. Because their range of tasks will be extended the operators will become more aware of their own capabilities and qualities.
Elimination of losses
TPM’s main goal is to increase the productivity by means of improvement of the Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE). Shortcomings in the area of TPM will result in losses in the OEE. The OEE makes a distinction between different types of losses and categorizes them. As mentioned earlier the OEE is calculated by three different variables: availability (A), efficiency (E) and quality (Q) (Nicholas, 1998; Oechsner et al., 2003). By multiplying the three parameter the OEE will be calculated (OEE = A * E * Q). The three parameters are determined by the so called ‘six big losses’ (Nicholas, 1998). In the table below the ‘six big losses’ are related to the three variables.
1. Downtime from sporadic or chronic equipment breakdowns 2. Downtime from equipment setup and adjustments
Availability (A)
3. Idling and minor stoppages 4. Reduced speed of operation
Efficiency (E)
5. Defect products caused by variability in equipment performance 6. Reduced yield caused by non-optimal operation
Quality (Q)
Figure 5: The OEE- parameters categorized into the ‘six big losses’ (Nicholas, 1998).
The first two types of losses influence the Availability. Losses 3 and 4 influence the Efficiency parameter and losses 5 and 6 determine the Quality parameter of the OEE.
The existence of losses can be assigned to many causes. One of the most common causes of losses in the equipment-efficiency is downtime because of equipment breakdowns. Preventive maintenance focuses at preventing breakdowns by carrying out planned maintenance. Planned maintenance aims at preventing a decline in the equipment’s condition by predicting it and eliminating it. Within preventive maintenance, periodic or planned maintenance is more and more taken over by the so called predictive maintenance.
Predictive maintenance, or condition-based maintenance (CBM) attempts to evaluate the condition of equipment by performing periodic or continuous (online) equipment condition monitoring. The ultimate goal of predictive maintenance is to perform maintenance at a scheduled point in time when the maintenance activity is most cost-effective and before the equipment loses optimum performance. This is in contrast to time- and/or operation count-based maintenance, where a piece of equipment gets maintained whether it needs it or not. Time-based maintenance is labor intensive, ineffective in identifying problems that develop between scheduled inspections, and is not cost-effective (Jardine et al., 2006).
The "predictive" component of predictive maintenance stems from the goal of predicting the future trend of the equipment's condition. This approach uses principles of statistical process control to determine at what point in the future maintenance activities will be appropriate. Most inspections are performed while equipment is in service, thereby minimizing the disruption of normal system operations. Adoption of predictive maintenance can result in substantial cost savings and higher system reliability.
Autonomous maintenance
When a certain level of equipment-efficiency is reached by eliminated losses, the next step is to consolidate the OEE at that level. Problems or defects which occur in the process are in most cases firstly detected by the operators controlling the production machines. Considering this fact it would be ideal if the operator also maintains the machine. However, because of the increasing technical complexity of the production equipment it is impossible for the operator to carry out total maintenance. Due to this change, the maintenance and the operation of the machines are divided into two different tasks. TPM takes it for granted that a strict separation of these two disciplines leads to lower involvement of the operator with the equipment resulting in lower awareness for the condition of the machine. Defects and other problems will eventually occur more often which will lead to decrease in the OEE. By increasing the involvement of the operator problems will be detected in an earlier stage. Then, the problems can directly be solved and will prevent the occurrence of more severe problems and defects. The prevention of these bigger problems has a positive influence on the OEE.
maintenance tasks will be taken from the maintenance employees and is called “autonomous maintenance”. To enable autonomous maintenance for the operators it is necessary that the maintenance department has set standard operating procedures.
Early Equipment Management
The elimination of losses and the consolidation of the reached level of OEE by carrying out preventive and autonomous maintenance, contribute to the objective of TPM. However, it would be even more efficient when the new equipment produces at a high OEE level from the moment of installation. In that case it will not be necessary to eliminate the losses before the consolidation of the OEE can begin. New production equipment can be delivered with a certain level of effectiveness. The discipline of designing and building of equipment containing a high initial OEE is called “early equipment management”. Besides the goal of delivering the equipment with a high efficiency it has another goal: controlling the design- and built process of equipment in such a manner that future aspects are predictable. These aspects are:
quality;
life-cycle costs;
flexibility of the production process; costs of production automation;
intrinsic safety of the production process
In early equipment management it is essential, just like in autonomous maintenance, that a narrow cooperation between production, maintenance and engineering exists. Requirements of all the three disciplines have to be taken into account to achieve the best results.
3
Preliminary investigation
3.1
TPM Assessment
3.1.1 Description of the TPM assessment tool
The assessment tool consists of several statements related to TPM (see appendix 1). Each of the 7 TPM-principles is represented by around 9 statements, which have to be assessed by the participant with a score from zero to four (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4). A statement assessed with (4) means that the participant totally agrees with the statement. A score of (0) implicates that the participant totally disagrees.
3.1.2 Respondents
To eliminate subjectivity the assessment has to be carried out with as many respondents as possible. However, the respondents are required to have broad knowledge about the organization and must be narrowly involved with the production process and the TPM implementation. The production- and the quality manager were the only employees at BAT Niemeyer which fulfilled these requirements. To make the outcome more objective I personally, as researcher, participated in the assessment as well. I was able to participate in the assessment based on the knowledge that I obtained by observations, conversations and documents analysis during the first months of my investigation.
3.2
Results
Figure 6: TPM Assessment: Mean scores per respondent
Figure 7: TPM Assessment mean scores (average of the three respondents)
If we consider the second radar graph (figure 7), with the overall mean scores, it can be noticed that especially the principles ‘cultural awareness’ and ‘elimination of losses’ are low valued by the respondents with an overall mean score of 4,8. In the table below the scores are given per principle in ascending order. Principle Score (0-10) Cultural Awareness 4,8 Elimination of Losses 4,8 Preventive Maintenance 6,3 5S 6,5 Autonomous Maintenance 7,2
Education & Training 7,5
Early Equipment Management 7,8
Figure 8: Assessment’s mean scores TPM principles at BAT Niemeyer.
The scores given in the table above are the mean scores of the three respondents per principle. The scores reflect the perceptions of three individual respondents and so they are subjective. Nevertheless, we assume that they are useful to give a proper indication of the current status in relation to the TPM principles.
3.3
Conclusions
The preliminary investigation is conducted to indicate what the least developed principles of TPM at BAT Niemeyer are and where improvement has the highest priority. This indication has been done by means of the TPM assessment tool of the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. The preliminary investigation has to answer the following research question:
How does BAT Niemeyer score on the principles of TPM?
In order to make TPM successful at BAT Niemeyer it is essential to realize ‘cultural awareness’ among the employees. They have to be aware of the prescriptions of TPM and they have to know what is expected in their daily tasks to contribute to the organization’s goals.
The ‘elimination of losses’ is directly focused on increasing the OEE. The maximization of the OEE in fact forms the main objective of TPM.
4
Main investigation
4.1
Objectives
The objective of the main investigation is based on the DOV-model (diagnosis, design, change) created by De Leeuw (2000). In the first stage of the investigation, the diagnosis, the causes of the low scores for the two principles at BAT Niemeyer have to be determined. Based on the diagnosis recommendations for elimination of the causes will be formulated. This part of the investigation is called the design. The actual implementation of the recommendations, the change, will be done by BAT Niemeyer and lies beyond the scope of this investigation.
The research goal of the main investigation contains two parts which can be formulated as follows: 1. Making a diagnosis in which the causes for the relative low integration of the TPM principles
‘cultural awareness’ and ‘elimination of losses’ at BAT Niemeyer will be exposed;
2. formulating recommendations within the TPM principles ‘cultural awareness’ and ‘elimination of losses’, in order to achieve a structural improved implementation of these principles at BAT Niemeyer.
The recommendations that will be made have to be aimed at achieving a ‘structural’ improvement. In this context ‘structural’ implies embedding the improvements in the organization. This means that the improved implementation of the principles will be maintained for the long-term. The improved implementation will result in an increase of the equipment-efficiency.
4.2
Research questions
The research question which will be answered by the main investigation is:
2. How can BAT Niemeyer achieve a structural improved implementation of the TPM principles ‘cultural awareness’ and ‘elimination of losses’ resulting in an increased equipment-efficiency of the production machines?
4.3
Sub-questions
In order to answer the main research question it will be split into two separate parts. The first part, existing out of sub-questions 1 and 2, concerns the investigation related to the ‘cultural awareness’ principle:
1. Which causes can be assigned to the existing lack of ‘cultural awareness’ at BAT Niemeyer?
2. How can an increased ‘cultural awareness’ be realized and embedded within BAT Niemeyer?
The second part concerns the investigation within the ‘elimination of losses’ principle:
3. Which causes can be assigned to the relatively low score on the ‘elimination of losses’ principle at BAT Niemeyer?
4. How can an improved implementation of the ‘elimination of losses’ principle be realized and embedded within BAT Niemeyer?
4.4
Method of main investigation
The data sources that will be used during the main investigation are: Scientific literature: articles, books;
BAT Niemeyer: employees, database documents; the Internet.
Sub-questions 1 & 2
By means of the mentioned data collection activities it will be possible to review the situation at BAT Niemeyer with theory. Then, based on the diagnosis, recommendations for achieving and embedding awareness can be formulated.
Sub-questions 3 & 4
In order to answer sub-questions 3 and 4 the concept of ‘elimination of losses’ further investigation will be done in literature. By conducting literature research the characteristics of the principle will be defined in more detail. Then, by means of semi-structured interviews with the area managers and shop floor workers (operators, production technicians), observations on the shop floor and analysis of existing documents in the database, the situation at BAT Niemeyer will be analyzed. In the database the main part of the documents within BAT Niemeyer are stored, like OEE-reports, operating procedures, Kaizen documents, project documents, performance results, instruction guides, etc. The collected information will be analyzed and causes for a lacking ‘elimination of losses’ will be determined and recommendations for improvement can be made.
4.5
Research boundary
The investigation will be conducted within mini-factory 1. In this part of the factory the shag is divided into portions and packed by means of so called ‘paper-insert’ machines. Mini-factory 1 contains 15 machines which are divided over 6 teams. The teams work 16 hours per day separated in two shifts of 8 hours. As mentioned before the teams are self-regulating (autonomous) and have no hierarchy.
The demarcation of the investigation within mini-factory 1 has several reasons. In the schematic view the production process (chapter 1.3) is divided into two main departments: the Primary (PMD) and the Secondary (SMD). From the KPI-dashboard (database) it becomes clear that the productivity (Kg / man-hour) of the SMD is much lower than the PMD’s productivity. SMD had in January 2009 a mean productivity of 53 kg per man-hour against a mean of 125 kg per man-hour at the PMD. Considering the characteristics of the two production processes a clear explanation for this difference can be found. The process at the PMD is a continuous process, in which large amounts of shag are produced in a relative short amount of time. The process is less labor-intensive and less sensitive for breakdowns and other efficiency losses. On the other hand, the SMD process is a packing process where the machines have to execute complex and accurate operations, like weighing small portions of shag. The paper-insert machines are built of complex, mechanical parts which have to be maintained well. The process in the SMD is less robust than the PMD process.
minimized. The PMD is in general far more capable of producing according to the planning. To avoid idleness in the SMD a buffer is placed between PMD and SMD on the so called ‘tobacco attic’.
From the preceding facts it can be concluded that TPM can be of great influence on the production process by increasing the equipment-effectiveness. Especially, at the SMD where a relative low productivity is realized, TPM can be very helpful.
5
Theoretical framework
To determine the causes of the current state of awareness it is first important to define the exact meaning of the term ‘cultural awareness’ and how it can be obtained . In chapter 5.2 the ‘elimination of losses’ principle will be defined.
5.1
Cultural awareness
The creation of awareness means that the behavior of the employees will change in such a manner that it will align with the rules of TPM. The involved ones have to be motivated to achieve the necessary performance (Aalders, 1993). So, besides the fact that the employees are aware of the new rules they also have to be motivated to change their behavior and be willing to obey the rules of the new culture. Employee’s ‘awareness’ of the rules is not sufficient. The will and motivation, or commitment, to work according these rules is even more important. Intangible factors such as involvement, ownership, and understanding are the key issues in obtaining commitment, because they affect the characteristics (perceptions, attitudes, expectations, values) of individuals.
Unclear understanding of what is being done, and of the objectives and methodologies of the concept (Clark, 1991; Hipkin and Lockett, 1995).
Perceived threats to supervisors and mangers’ roles (Bardoel and Sohal, 1999).
Failure to produce results quickly where management has little patience to await benefits and is looking for short-term returns on investment (Schawn and Khan, 1994; Laszo, 1999).Withdrawal of management support may also occur when benefits cannot be identified or attributed to the concept implemented (Bowler and Leonard, 1994).
Employee commitment is also necessary since employees actually execute the activities during the implementation and after completion. Employees’ willingness to change to a TPM-culture can be affected negatively for various reasons (Hansson et al., 2003):
demoralized staff may resist change due to, for example, fear of losing jobs, status affected or negative experience of earlier problematic change projects;
unwillingness to change due to stressful work conditions or not understanding the process, i.e. personnel are unable to see the benefits of the implementation;
conservatism, or upholding existing practices, stemming from insufficient knowledge of the new working methods.
Uncommitted management and employees are obviously severe obstacles for managing the change. Characteristics of individuals play an important role in obtaining commitment. Perceptions, attitudes, expectations and values could obstruct acceptance of and motivation to work with a TPM implementation (Saad and Siha, 2000; Tsang and Chan, 2000; Schawn and Kahn, 1994).
Hansson and Backlund (2003) identified activities that influence intangible factors (involvement, understanding, ownership) and affect commitment. They identified several categories to be important in managing commitment (see figure 9):
Support and leadership, making employees feel recognized, and visibly showing the significance of the implementation to motivate employees (Allen and Kilmann, 2001). Management should also consider the work environment, i.e. whether employees have the time and resources for improvement efforts; this is fundamental for ensuring that employees willingly comply with the implementation (Cooke, 2000)
This gives a clear picture of how the improvement will benefit the organization and promote desired achievements such as management and employee understanding.
Planning the implementation, which implies developing a clear scope in order to identify obstacles and driving forces (Hipkin and Lockett, 1995). This facilitates monitoring and follow-up, which promotes desired achievements such as management and employee understanding and involvement. It also implies activities which promote the participation of all concerned parties (e.g. front-line staff, unions, and management), usually by means of small teams, in goal setting, and identifying solutions (Schawn and Khan, 1994). The participation of employees promotes desired achievements such as involvement and ownership.
Buying-in and empowerment, which implies activities such as selling the concept to each group, identifying what each group or level of employees and management want (Allen and Kilmann, 2001; Bamber et al, 1999). Buy-in activities promote desired achievements such as involvement and ownership, and facilitate the identification and control of expectations. Empowerment activities, such as sharing responsibility, promote involvement, job satisfaction, independence and ownership among employees.
Training and education, which implies activities that develop employee competence, skills and knowledge (Bardoel and Sohal, 1999). Training promotes employee belief that the company is investing in them; it also supports understanding and awareness.
Measuring and evaluation, which implies activities such as obtaining measurable and quantified results and objectives, so as to have a clear scope and focus, and continually monitoring and following through the process (Bamber et al, 1999). This reveals progress and results that promote management and employee involvement and understanding. Employees have to see how they can personally benefit from the change, while management must see how it benefits the company. Measuring and evaluation yields feedback on results that promote creation of a motivated management which continuously provides resources and support for the implementation. Such management also motivates and engages employees as they experience progress (Allen and Kilmann, 2001).
Figure 9: Important categories in managing commitment (Hansson et al., 2003)
The management of commitment according to the above standards increases the chance that employees will support the implementation. Employee support and commitment will increase the chance of a successful implementation of TPM.
5.2
Elimination of losses
The low score on the ‘elimination of losses’ principle is caused by a lacking elimination of losses process. The main goal of the elimination of losses process is maximization of the equipment-efficiency by eliminating losses. These losses are indicated by measurement of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness. These losses in equipment-efficiency are results of shortcomings in TPM and form a basis for improvement actions. This process of measuring the OEE losses and using it as a basis for future actions forms the core activity of TPM (Aalders, 1993; Ljungberg, 2008). According to Beer et al. (1992) and Shaffer & Thomson (1992) in most cases a lack of focus on results could be seen as the main cause of the TPM failure. Organizations should focus more on results instead of activities. By directly eliminating the losses in the equipment-efficiency of the production machine this focus will be obtained. Moreover, achieving quick results in the early stage of implementation will create recognition and trust under the employees.
Elimination of losses Determine model-machine
OEE measure + target setting
Determine direct/ indirect causes of losses
Create ideas for improvement
FI-team
Fix improvements in standards
Extend standards
Continuous Improvement
Figure 10: Process of ‘elimination of losses’ (adapted from Aalders, 1993; Chan et al, 2005)
Model machine
A critical step in the early stage of TPM implementation is the selection of a model machine. By selecting a model machine it possible to focus your sources firstly on one machine, instead of using a ‘big bang’ strategy. The results of the model machine at an early stage would have a crucial psychological/morale effect (Lycke, 2003). It is obvious that TPM implementation requires extra costs for the change of current machine performance and procedure in which all of these are not easy to quantify. As a result, the selected model machine needs to have significant improvement compared to other non-TPM machines after the TPM implementation (Chan et al., 2005). Moreover, the improvements and lessons within TPM can be extended to the remaining machines and are much faster as the model machine is acting as a guideline for the replication. Criteria for model machine selection can be developed as follows:
Low availability or low Mean Unit Between Assists (MUBA = total number of units produced / number of stoppages).
OEE measure and target setting
In TPM system, all machines need to have a clear and quantifiable target no matter whether it is a model machine or a follower machine. TPM effectiveness measurement is usually made by the OEE measurement, which was already determined as a function of availability, performance efficiency and quality rate. The wastes can be categorized into the so called ‘six big losses’ (Nicholas, 1998):
1. Downtime from sporadic or chronic equipment breakdowns. 2. Downtime from equipment setup and adjustments.
These two losses affect the availability of a machine. The more time the equipment is stopped for setups or repairs, the less time remaining for it to do work.
3. Idling and minor stoppages (machine is running, but parts flowing to it periodically jam or parts flowing from it are momentarily blocked because the next machine is broken down). 4. Reduced speed of operation (equipment is running, but at a reduced speed because it is
worn out or needs adjustment).
These two losses in combination affect the equipment efficiency. Equipment that is periodically interrupted by shortages, or that produces at a rate less than its standard capacity takes longer than necessary to do the work. The following losses affect the quality variable of the OEE:
5. Defect products caused by variability in equipment performance. 6. Reduced yield caused by non-optimal operation.
Figure 11: Calculation of the OEE
For TPM implementation for the model machine, a simple method for monitoring the performance of machine like the MUBA can also be used instead of OEE. In most cases the number of stoppages and produced items can automatically be monitored and recorded by the machine. Besides the MUBA, target values that are used are; “number of improvements (Kaizen)”, “number of one-point lessons (OPL)” and the “number of suggestions” made in a certain period.
Nevertheless, performance measures should adhere to some basic criteria if they are to be effective. Tangen (2002) suggests that:
The measures must be derived from strategic objectives to ensure that employees’ behavior is in line with corporate goals.
The measures must provide timely, relevant and accurate feedback, from both a long-term and short-term perspective.
Measurement should be undertaken in ways that easily understood by those whose performance is being evaluated.
Proper measurement is relevant because TPM has a strong hierarchical structure of target setting which leads from top management to shop floor. The organization’s main goals, set by the management, form a direct input for the target settings on the shop floor and are not distracted from sub-goals. An example of a main goal is a 5% raise of the equipment-effectiveness on a yearly basis. All the activities on the shop floor are then focused on achieving this goal and every employee contributes his or her part. Ideas for improvement are examined based on their contribution to the main goals of the organization.
Determination of the causes of losses
Within TPM goals are often determined in terms of an OEE increase. So, existing losses in the OEE have to be eliminated. The causes of losses can be analyzed by several different methods. Initially, using the pareto-analysis (20% of the causes are responsible for 80% of the losses) a selection of the most harmful losses must be made. These losses will form the focus of further investigation. It is important to know if these losses have an incidental or structural character. Incidental losses have a small chance on a repeated existence and the cause is not locked in the structure of the organization (human, machine, material and method). Structural losses have a frequent existence and their causes are locked in the organization’s structure (Aalders, 1993). Human, machines, material and method together form the structure which is built out of standard operating procedures (SOP). Structural losses result from following these standards. To determine if a loss is structural or incidental the cause has to be found. For finding the primary cause of a loss several methods for cause analysis exist. Examples of cause analysis methods are (Aalders, 1993):
Fishbone analysis (Ishikawa-diagram);
Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA); Failure tree analysis;
Pareto analysis;
Organizational investigation; Brainstorming;
Physical modeling analysis;
Why, why, because, logical analysis. Focused Improvement-team
cross-functional team with members from engineering, maintenance group and production (Chan et al, 2005) and often the factory manager is also included (which shows the importance of improvement activities). In this way the three different disciplines are directly connected and the necessary knowledge is present. Creativity and ability to innovate are essential characteristics of the team. The FI-team has regularly formal meetings and have a plan used for the implementation of continuous improvement by means of improvement projects. The plan can be structured in the following stages (Garcia Arca et al, 2008):
1. Design of the improvement plan (objectives) and definitions of guidelines. The improvement plan includes the various improvement projects developed by the FI-team.
2. Approval of the proposed plan by the company management (implying commitment to it). 3. Presentation of the project (management team, works committee, personnel).
4. Implementation. Pilot experience (model machine). 5. Evaluation of results and tracking mechanism. 6. Extension to other areas of the factory. Embedding of improvements in standards
When a loss turns out to have a structural cause it will lead to an adjustment in the standards. By changing the standard the cause of the loss, and so the loss itself, will be eliminated.
When maximizing the productivity of the production-installation it is necessary to control human activity around this installation. Production, engineering and maintenance are the disciplines which are of influence on the installation. By means of standardizing working processes in standard operating procedures (SOP) a certain level of productivity can be consolidated. The relation between human activity, equipment-efficiency and productivity within TPM is given in the figure below.
Figure 12: Relation between human activity, equipment-efficiency and productivity (Aalders, 1993).
standards can be improved. Within TPM all the employees are expected to contribute to this process of continuous improvement. Coming up with ideas for improvement has to be rewarded. The proposed improvements have to be examined in detail before they eventually will become the new standard and are embedded in the organization
This continuous process of elimination of losses, which mainly consists out of consolidation and improvement, is a never ending aim at perfection.
6
Diagnosis within the ‘Cultural Awareness’
principle
In this chapter the causes of a relative low level of ‘cultural awareness’ will be investigated by means of a survey. The results will be presented and discussed.
6.1
Method of the survey
In order to determine the current level of commitment and related causes under the shop floor workers at BAT Niemeyer a survey is done. The survey was done in June 2009, in the factory canteen of mini-factory 1 and 2. Although the boundary is determined around mini-mini-factory 1 the shop floor workers of mini-factory 2 were useful for the questionnaire. They work on the same work floor, with identical rules, some identical machines, in the same culture, etc. So, it is assumed that their perception of the enabling activities does not differ from the shop floor in mini-factory 1. The respondents were approached during their coffee break. 38 (out of the +/- 90) respondents were willing to fill in the questionnaire. Three of them turned out to be temporary employees and were not able to fill in the questionnaire. These respondents were deleted out of the data. All the other 35 respondents had no ‘missing values’, so they were all useful for the survey.
Figure 13: Important categories in managing commitment (Hansson & Backlund, 2003)
The questionnaire consists out of 19 statements. The first 18 statements are created to determine how the shop floor workers experience and value the ‘enabling activities’. Statement 19 is formulated to determine the current state of employee commitment. Each category of activities is represented in the questionnaire by at least 1 and at maximum 4 statements.
The statements can be valued by a so called ‘5-point Likert-scale’. A likert-scale questionnaire consists out of statements. The respondents have to value their level of agreement with the statement. Likert-scale statements are relative easy to answer for the respondents compared to most other types of questions. The assignment of different standard answers creates the possibility to measure intensity instead of ‘hard’ yes or no answer. Mere over, Likert-scale answers are relative easy to process in the analysis. In the questionnaire the respondents had to value the statements with a score from 1 to 5:
1 = totally disagree; 2 = partly disagree; 3 = neutral;
4 = partly agree; 5 = totally agree.
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