What Is Total Productive Maintenance? The Ultimate Guide

What is total productive maintenance? Total productive maintenance (TPM) is the process of using machines, equipment, employees, and supporting processes to maintain and improve production integrity and system quality. In other words, employees maintain their equipment using proactive and preventive maintenance techniques to achieve near-perfect production levels.

Today we will go over the foundation, pillars, and benefits of a TPM program, as well as how to implement one. We will also discuss the benefits of using LLumin’s computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS+) software to implement an effective TPM program.

What Is Total Productive Maintenance?

TPM is a maintenance program that aims to involve all employees in equipment maintenance and improvement. The program seeks to achieve near-perfect production and a high overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) level by increasing equipment uptime, improving quality, and lowering production costs.

It strives to achieve the following goals:

• No equipment breakdowns
• No stops or slow run times
• No defects
• No accidents

This program emphasizes proactive and preventive actions and seeks to involve employees in regular equipment maintenance and operating best practices TPM commonly involves regular equipment inspections, cleaning, lubrication, employee training, and participation in maintenance activities.

Implementing a TPM program fosters a sense of shared responsibility for equipment maintenance which encourages greater team involvement. This program has been proven to improve equipment performance, quality, and maintenance costs. It also can create a safer and more efficient work environment and contribute to an organization’s overall sustainability goals.

What Are The Traditional Pillars of TPM?

The TPM program was developed in Japan in the late 1950s, which led to the realization that a leadership mindset that engages frontline workers in improvement activities is an essential component of effective operations. The program comprises five foundational factors and eight supportive activities (also known as pillars).

The Foundational 5s of TPM

These steps serve as the foundation for TPM, with the goal of creating a safe, efficient, and visually appealing work environment conducive to equipment maintenance and improvement.

The foundational 5S of TPM include:

• Sort: To eliminate clutter and improve organization, this step entails identifying and removing any unnecessary items from the work area.
• Set in order: This step entails organizing and labeling each item to make the remaining items simple to use and locate.
• Shine: This step involves routine cleaning to keep your equipment and workspace in good condition and free of dirt and debris.
• Standardize: This step involves developing standard operating procedures for carrying out duties, maintaining machinery, and keeping the workspace tidy and organized. 
• Sustain: Making the 5S system an integral part of the company culture and daily operations requires maintaining and improving the preceding steps.

After reviewing the foundational 5s, it should be clear that the program’s beginning lays the groundwork for a clean, well-run, and efficient workplace environment. The steps outlined above can help to reduce dirt, debris, and clutter and keep essential tools and equipment in easily accessible areas.

Furthermore, these steps make it easier to identify new problems, such as equipment wear and tear, spills, and debris, and create the processes required to mitigate those problems.

The Eight Pillars of TPM

These eight pillars of TPM work together to create a comprehensive maintenance program that can help improve equipment performance, reduce downtime, and increase overall productivity.

Pillar	What is it?
Focused Improvement	The “Focused Improvement” pillar focuses on identifying and eliminating the root causes of equipment problems using problem-solving tools and techniques.
Autonomous Maintenance	Autonomous Maintenance empowers operators and other front-line employees to take ownership of their equipment’s maintenance and upkeep.
Planned Maintenance	Planned Maintenance focuses on scheduling and performing preventative maintenance on equipment to keep it in good working order.
Training and Education	The “Training and Education” pillar equips employees with the knowledge and skills they need to maintain and improve equipment properly.
Early Equipment Management	This pillar ensures that equipment is maintained to the highest quality standards.
Quality Maintenance	Quality Maintenance focuses on monitoring the health and performance of equipment to identify potential problems before they occur.
Office Administration	This pillar focuses on applying TPM principles and practices to the office and administrative processes and equipment.
Safety, Health, and Environment	This pillar is concerned with ensuring that equipment is safe, healthy, and environmentally responsible.

The Benefits of Total Productive Maintenance

There are several benefits to TPM that go beyond equipment upkeep and maintenance. The program fosters an environment of continuous improvement. We’ve listed the top benefits of TPM below for your consideration.

Benefits	Explanation
Equipment Efficiency	Reduces unexpected breakdowns and increases uptime.
Product Quality	Equipment peak performance levels will improve product quality.
Reduced Costs	Reduces costs associated with repairs, downtime, and inefficiency
Employee Engagement	Encourages employee participation and engagement
Safety	Improves workplace safety levels, reduces hazards
Sustainability	Better for the environment, reduces waste levels

Implement Proactive Maintenance With an Advanced CMMS

Now that we have answered “What is total productive maintenance,” the next step is implementing it. If you’re just starting a new TPM program, a CMMS solution can help you get the tools and capabilities you need to plan, execute, and monitor your maintenance and TPM  strategy effectively. LLumin’s CMMS+ can be used to ensure TPM processes are well understood by operations staff and are executed properly. Plus CMMS+ easily schedules and tracks preventive maintenance tasks for all of your equipment, ensuring that unplanned breakdowns do not occur.

While every implementation process will vary depending on the company and industry, there are some fundamental steps of successful outcomes. To Implement TPM, follow these steps for success:

1. Initial Assessment: Complete a thorough assessment of your current maintenance practices to identify areas of improvement. 
2. Set Goals: Define measurable and time-bound (SMART) goals for your new program.
3. Encourage Participation: Informing employees of new changes, encouraging participation, as well as training your employees can help ensure the success of your new program. 
4. 5S and the 8 Pillars: Systematically implement the 5S method and eight pillars of TPM. 
5. Monitoring: Regularly review performance metrics to continuously improve. 
6. Feedback and Staying Agile: Encourage feedback from employees and company stakeholders, provide support, and make adjustments as needed. 

LLumin’s CMMS+ can provide you with the valuable data and insights you need to track the progress of your new TPM program and measure and track valuable KPIs to determine the success of your greater efforts.

The platform will also provide you with powerful but nimble dashboards and visualizations that enable remote asset monitoring and visibility into all asset conditions and statuses, as well as tools for scheduling, managing personnel and supplies, and a multitude of other valuable resources for successful maintenance management in the age of industry 4.0.

Our implementation process is second to none and is executed to ensure the effective use of your new CMMS+ software. We provide continual training and support to our customers so they can adapt to and perform well in rapidly changing market conditions. 

So if you are looking for a cutting-edge CMMS+ solution combined with a seamless and rapid implementation process, then LLumin is a perfect fit.