In the name "Total Productive Maintenance" the aspect "maintenance" is emphasized, but TPM is much more than a maintenance system. The objective of TPM is to have a production system that is extremely efficient and effective in producing quality products at the required production rate.

It is a general production strategy that depends heavily on the involvement and commitment of all personnel. The workers are given much more responsibility and there is a lot of attention to teamwork. 

TPM can only be implemented successfully if the management has faith in the ability and creativity of it's people.

TPM Concepts

• The indicator of the effectivity of a machine is the % OEE or % Overall Equipment Effectiveness.
  
  A machine is only effective when it works and produces only good parts at the required rate. In the measurement of %OEE meting three major losses are taken into account. The result of this calculation is often very confronting for an organisation. It shows the weaknesses of the system.
  
  
  • Unforeseen stops (including set-up times);
  • Poor Quality;
  • Production below the foreseen production rate
• TPM is based on a profound knowledge of the processes so you understand exactly what is happening and what is needed for an optimal production.
  
  To succeed you need a very good cooperation between production, maintenance and engineering. Each participant is of equal value and everyone's knowledge and contribution is important. The organization must show that it believes in the capacities of the people and provide the means to allow them to contribute. This requires a serious investment in training and time for improvement actions. 
  
  
• Implementing TPM is done at floor level and the responsibility for the good functioning of the program is at floor level. Autonomous teams are created that get a lot more authority than in the past. Management has to understand that it does not need to define things to the last detail. 
  
  There are many local improvements in small teams. In Japanese the term Kaizen is used.

TPM Methods

The methods used within TPM vary from very simple to very complex. In line with Lean they start from observing and studying the processes as they function in reality. A lot of attention goes to the work environment and process study.

• 5 S is probably the best known method within TPM. It aims at creating the best possible work environment. The name is based on five Japanese words beginning with S and that indicate a step in the program.
  
  
  • Seiko: only what is needed, needs to be present;
  • Seiton: a place for everything and everything in it's place;
  • Seiketso: the work environment must be shiny;
  • Seiso: turn this into a routine;
  • Shitsuke: apply and continuously improve.
    
    
• Visual management allows an easier control on the process by using visual aids. 
  
  A typical example of visual management is the red-green principle that allows everyone to see if a certain process parameter is working in the correct range.
  
  
  
  
• PM analysis or Physical Modelling is much more complex. The idea is that you have to know the process down to the physical level of it to truly control it. In fact, you should know the physical laws that govern the processes in a mathematical way. This is not unlike Six Sigma.
  
  
• Condition management is a set of techniques that lead to the most optimal maintenance plan and form the basis for the learning organization. Condition Management is explained in a separate part of the website.