Ways of improvement of technological equipment performance

Abstract

Increasing of production performance of production systems and equipment in the meat-processing industry is integrally linked to maintenance activities. The article analyzes the influence of technological effectiveness, level of hygiene, reliability and simplicity of equipment design on the main parameters of meat products quality. Here it is shown that the strategy of Total Productive Maintenance (TRM) and Lean production is important tool for assessment of parameter of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), which is used to assess the main types of losses that reduce the equipment productivity. The link of influence between the structural and mechanical properties of food masses, the moisture content of the initial food raw material, the temperature and viscosity, the processing pressure, and the density for the optimal operating terms of the equipment are analyzed in this research. With the help of OEE concept, the time losses related to the features of the equipment functioning are determined. The types of losses are classified as follows: downtime and readjustment (availability or readiness for operation) of equipment, short-term shutdown of equipment and a decrease in processing speed (productivity or performance rate of the equipment), product rejects and product losses (quality losses) during startup of equipment. While analyzing of the operation of vacuum filler for sausages production, the values of parameters of equipment availability, it productivity and product quality are calculated. The availability index is 0.79, the productivity index is 0.76, and the product quality index is 0.95. Taking into account the obtained data on equipment availability, productivity and product quality, it is determined that the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) accounts for 57%. The application of this method for studying the overall equipment effectiveness operation can be applied to any technological equipment used in the meat-processing industry and allows eliminating many problems that arise during the operation of technological equipment, improving its technical and economic parameters, and developing a system of measures for improvement of its maintenance and repair.