Total Productive Maintenance TPM

Definition of TPM

Total Productive Maintenance TPM is a maintenance concept for maintaining plants and equipment. The main goal of the TPM is to increase production while, at the same time, increasing employee morale and job satisfaction. With the Total Productive Maintenance concept, maintenance is no longer considered as a non-profit activity but as an important process of the overall business increase. Total Productive Maintenance aim is to reduce as much as possible activity stops due to maintenance. Basically, TPM is to equipments and machines what medicine is to human beings.

History of TPM

Evolution of the preventive maintenance concept (born in the USA), TPM is, once more with Lean Manufacturing related concepts, a Japanese concept. Japanese firms started to implement preventive maintenance in their plants around 1951.One of these companies, Nippon Denso, noticed a cost increased due to dedicated team for maintenance operations as the automation was developing in their plant. Nippon Denso then decided that operators should do themselves all standard maintenance operations. This decision gave changed the preventive maintenance to productive maintenance where productive refers to the fact that production staff are doing the maintenance. The word Total was added to show that all plant staff should be involved to achieve better result.

Benefits of TPM

Here are some of the most important benefits of Total productive maintenance: 

• Reduce cost.
• Increasing productivity OPE and OEE , without reducing product quality.
• Avoid any kind of waste.
• Satisfy customers needs by 100 %
• Reduce accidents.
• Follow-up of environmental control measures.

• Increase staff’s confidence level
• Cleaner then more attractive work zones
• Team work development.
• Stronger implication of staff
• Strong personal relationship between workers and the equipment.
• Widen staff skills

Basic Structure of TPM

Basically, TPM can e considered as a building with a basement and 8 pillars; the 8 pillars of TPM Total Production Maintenance

• BASEMENT - 5S
• PILLAR 1 - Autonomous maintenance (JISHU HOZEN)
• PILLAR 2 - Equipment and process improvement (KAIZEN)
• PILLAR 3 – Planned Maintenance
• PILLAR 4 - Quality Maintenance
• PILLAR 5 - Initial Flow Control
• PILLAR 6 – Education and Training
• PILLAR 7 - TPM in Office (Support functions)
• PILLAR 8 – Safety, health and Environment

Conclusion on Total Production Maintenance TPM

TPM has proved many times that it is a working concept, giving competitive results compared to the engaged resources. One key point will be sure of the involvement of all employees and to have a fully committed management. Moreover, TPM concept is highly adaptable to other activities than industrial ones like real estate, construction, logistics…