Oil and Gas extraction activity is one of the most hazardous processes in the chemical industry. The extracted matter contains H2S or Hydrogen Sulphide, a gas so explosive and toxic that it can compromise a worker’s life in the process. In such hazardous cases, it becomes inevitable to ensure health and safety of factory workers, and remodel the oil and gas industry to a less risky one. Using TPM or total productive maintenance can address the loopholes and improve the extraction process along with the safety of the staff involved. This article answers all the questions about usage of total productive maintenance(TPM) in the oil and gas industry. 

What is Total Productive Maintenance(TPM)

Total Productive Maintenance is an approach that reflects the idea of involving everyone in the organization to participate in operations. This means along with technicians, maintenance management, and reliability engineers; operators should also contribute to the maintenance process. Implementation of TPM helps upskill the staff holistically and uses the expertise of each member to fasten the continuity of operations. 

There are 8 pillars of Total Productive Maintenance(TPM)

  1. Autonomous Maintenance
  2. Planned Maintenance
  3. Quality Integration
  4. Focused Improvement
  5. Early Equipment Management
  6. Training and Education
  7. Safety, Health, Environment
  8. TPM in Administration

Total productive maintenance uses the 5S Foundation to carry out organizational activities: 

  1. Sort: Remove anything that is unnecessary from the workspace
  2. Straighten: Systematically organize the remaining components
  3. Shine: Inspect and clean up the workspace
  4. Standardize: Set standardized procedures to follow in discipline
  5. Sustain: Ensure that the set protocols are followed and the operations are running smoothly. 

Implementing TPM in Oil and Gas Industry

  • Before beginning with total productive maintenance, understanding the underlying problem and having the right mindset is necessary. You need to identify the gaps or loopholes in the operations before blindly enforcing the TPM strategies across your organizations. 
  • In addition to root-cause analysis, you have to create a sense of urgency for implementing Total Productive maintenance in your organization. Take the help of external experts to make your personalized TPM strategy that complies with the protocols and functionalities of your organization. 
  • The oil and gas industry is not very kind when it comes to the occupational safety of the human factor. While implementing total productive maintenance in the oil and gas industry, begin with prioritizing the health and safety of the factory workers. Ensure that the staff is regularly trained in the operations along with maintaining their occupational safety. This training should be consistently repeated to enhance operational efficiency. The usage of anti-gas equipment, fire-protection equipment, and personal oxygen masks should be taught beforehand. 
  • Furthermore, weekly sessions should be conducted to discuss the progress of operations and OSH(Occupational safety and health). It might be a good initiative if your company can provide the necessary personal protective equipment free of charge to the staff involved in oil and gas-related operations. 
  • Next comes mitigating corrective measures(CM) by taking preventive measures(PM). Preventive measures ensure quality, stability and efficiency in your manufacturing process. Use the Jishu Hozen(autonomous maintenance) approach to train the operating personnel for day-to-day maintenance tasks. Jishu Hozen upskills the operating personnel along with freeing up the maintenance personnel in other technical tasks. 
  • An unexpected machine downtime can cost you around $50 billion a year. Hence, make sure to carry out the daily maintenance activities inspection, cleaning and lubrication of machinery and take preventive measures to avoid machine breakdowns. Conduct periodic checks to keep notes of the wear and tear happening in the machinery and get it repaired before the damage magnifies. Educate the staff by increasing their technical competency, so that they can handle the day-to-day maintenance activities on their own. 
  • Invest in upgrading the technical infrastructure in the factories. Maintaining the quality of machines will boost efficiency and reduce wastage. Analyze the controlling process interaction between personnel, equipment and raw material to find out defects and loopholes. Reduce the communication gap by taking corrective actions to avoid the same mistakes happening in the future. 
  • Use Gemba Observation by taking interviews and feedback to understand minor stoppages and abnormalities causing machine downtime. Additionally, use historical data to make calculative assumptions of factors resulting in machine failures. 
  • Lastly, take steps to alleviate the environmental damage caused by the factory-based activities in our organization. 

Conclusion:

TPM is known to enhance operational efficiency across all fields, and the Oil and Gas industry proves to be an exceptional case study when it comes to exponential results. Oil and Gas companies face a lot of challenges when it comes to operational procedures. Hence, having a customized approach like TPM towards this formidable industry can augment progress and efficiency of the companies implementing it.