Improving the efficiency of the flooring production process in a timber company through the application of TPM and SMED

Abstract

The Peruvian wood industry faces operational inefficiencies that limit its competitiveness despite the growth of the global market. Although the country possesses abundant forest resources, low productive efficiency and high levels of informality have led to a 15.8% decrease in the sector’s international market participation between 2023 and 2024. This issue is reflected in a Peruvian company that produce solid wood flooring, where the machining stage concentrates unplanned stoppages, reducing equipment efficiency and generating economic losses and delays in order delivery. To address these limitations, the study applied Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), through its autonomous and planned maintenance pillars, together with SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die), in order to reduce mechanical failures and setup times. Validation was carried out through the simulation of the As-Is and To-Be scenarios in Arena, using indicators such as efficiency, availability, setup time, and MTBF. The results show that the integration of TPM and SMED can be effectively applied to the solid wood flooring production process, a sector where no prior documented applications of these methodologies have been identified. The simulation showed improvements of 6.6% in efficiency, 15.0% in availability, a 34.9% reduction in setup time, and a 50.8% increase in MTBF. Overall, the combined TPM–SMED approach is an effective strategy for optimizing operational performance and strengthening the competitiveness of the wood manufacturing sector.