Patrick Womack, PM coordinator
    Propex Inc., Chattanooga, Tennessee

Pat has been a member of the Propex team for 22 years and has held several positions. He began his career as an extrusion machine operator, then joined the maintenance team. He is now PM Coordinator.

“During the past five years, Pat has participated in 22 rapid improvement events and has assisted on many others as a maintenance resource,” says Charlie Stiner, value stream leader. “Because of Pat’s focus, understanding and expertise utilizing TPM tools, he was asked to join our Corporate Autonomous Maintenance team which has been tasked with developing our corporate maintenance strategy.”

The company’s TPM program has yielded great results, Stiner says. OEE has improved, M&R costs are well below standard and company teammates have a safer and more reliable work place.

“Pat is truly a champion of Lean manufacturing and has had a positive impact on our performance. Lean manufacturing is not just a job for Pat, it is his passion.”

In 2006, Pat was tagged to help Propex’s corporate team to create a TPM program for all six of the company’s United States plants. Pat runs the improvement event preplanning and follow-up. He has traveled to every plant and works with members at each on their TPM programs.

“We now have the plant poised to go into value streams,” Stiner adds. “We’re aligning equipment and planning to bring in some new packing equipment within the next year so our three different flows will all be contained together. That’s very exciting.

“And even those groups will have their own autonomous maintenance teams. Each group will have the operators and maintenance person assigned and they will totally function in that area to develop the right metrics. That’s the path we’re developing and Pat is an integral part of that effort.”

This article appeared in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of MRO Today magazine. Copyright 2007.

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