F-tag / fuguai
An abnormality tag — an F-tag in most TPM programmes — is a tag an operator attaches to a machine to record an abnormality found during routine equipment care: a leak, a loose fastener, a worn hose, an unusual noise, a missing guard screw, a gauge reading outside its normal range. "F" is for fuguai (不具合), Japanese for a defect or abnormality, used in Total Productive Maintenance and the autonomous-maintenance pillar in particular. Not to be confused with the unrelated US healthcare F-Tag (CMS nursing-home deficiency citations).
It marks a condition that is not yet a breakdown but is not right either.
Not to be confused with the US healthcare F-Tag: in US healthcare, “F-Tag” refers to the deficiency citation codes CMS surveyors issue to nursing homes and long-term care facilities — a completely unrelated regulatory term.
What goes on a tag: a tag number, date found, who found it, the machine, the exact location on the machine, a description, category, who should fix it, and the action taken with its close date. The exact location field is the one that decides whether the tag is actionable — a vague description turns every pickup into a search.
How MYREX handles abnormality tags: in MYREX a tag is raised on a point on a high-definition 3D capture of the actual machine. The location is not described — it is recorded. The technician who picks the tag up opens it and is looking at the spot, together with every photo, video, note and previous tag ever recorded at that same location.
Sources and notes
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and autonomous-maintenance practice. This is operational vocabulary, not a regulatory citation — no single primary source governs the term.
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