In manufacturing sustainability is determined by the time the machine is adding value per shift. If the machine stops due to breakdown the cost of production increases and profitability falls because of the downtimes.  The five causes of manufacturing downtimes in the automotive industry were found to be Manpower, Methods, Machine, Materials and Maintenance of the equipment or the 5Ms. The 5Ms are responsible for the eight wastes in manufacturing hence the need to analyse the manufacturing process and impact of the eight wastes. The Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) strategy that involves all workers reduces the downtimes in the automotive industry. TPM  and total Quality management systems is effective in increasing the plant availability and Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE). To increase availability or uptime of manufacturing equipment  need to be services, repaired and operated by trained personnel. Operators are trained to do minor repairs and services whist specialized technicians do major repairs and overhauls during shutdowns. The automotive industry has incorporated the Poka Yoke and Jidoka tool using machine history to detect and show an error before it happens using visual Andon lights.

Keywords

Sustainability, Total Productive Maintenance, Manpower, Machine, Methods, and Materials.