As stated on the previous page, productivity is the ratio of Output over Input.  Outputs are the products or services our companies produce while Inputs are those resources that we convert into Outputs.  Inputs include such things as energy, labor, material, and equipment. To improve that ratio (and improve productivity), you could keep the same level of Inputs while increasing Outputs or reduce Inputs while keeping Outputs the same.  But, to optimize this ratio, the answer is to reduce the Inputs while increasing the Outputs.  The opportunity is not to just do the right things, it is doing the right things right!  That is productivity improvement. 

Inputs are changed into Outputs.  The Process or Throughput is the method of conversion.   That is the means by which you take raw materials, energy, labor, equipment, information, and other Inputs and convert them into Outputs.  You can improve Outputs by improving the Process.  It just means that you can become more productive by looking at your processes and making them more efficient.  Are you still awake at this point?  Good, let’s continue.

Feedback is another key element.  It is the communication link that tells you how well you are or are not doing.  To be effective, Feedback needs to be accurate and prompt.  It has to tell you where you are and what changes you need to make to stay on track.  It is much like a compass and map to the navigator of a boat.  It shows you the relationship of where you are to where you want to go.  It would be difficult to navigate without a map and compass.  Measurement is Feedback.

The opportunity is not to just do the right things, it is doing the right things right!

TPM gives you the means to improve––to determine where your process is and where you want your equipment to go by using Feedback.  We call this Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).  We will deal with this in more detail in Section X  (that’s 10 for you non-Latin types).  I hope I haven’t lost you, or we will need a compass.

You track information to let you know what you need to change to improve your direction.  Therefore, TPM helps you to become more productive by giving you information you can act upon.  The key to changing course is the knowledge that the change can be made immediately, even when it takes a while for results to be seen.  Flexibility is the knack of responding quickly to new information.  It requires a constant source of updated information and appropriate action.  Is this getting good or what?