Cost-eefective & continous improvement of production process and company's business when using Total Quality Maintenance (TQMain)

A new concept of condition-based maintenance (CBM), Total Quality Maintenance (TQMain) is presented. It aims to maintain not only machines but the quality of the essential elements involved in the production process, such as methods, operational conditions, personnel competence, raw material, quality and managerial systems. The major results achieved, which are based on several case studies, are: Evidence of prolonging the bearing's effective live by using more accurate diagnosis is confirmed when faulty bearing installation, faulty machinery design and harsh environmental condition are considered Machine speed and load influence the information delivered by vibration signals Applying vibration spectral analysis, it is possible to detect the deviations in the quality of a product during the processing time and before it is completed Maintenance profit of one paper machine was found to be at minimum about 3.58 MSEK yearly The main conclusion is; identifying and eliminating causes behind deviations in quality and equipment condition at an early stage are vital to accomplish continuous improvements and to assure longer machine live and high quality products at competitive price.