OEE is an essential aspect to total productive maintenance (TPM), as well as Lean manufacturing. The acronym OEE stands for Overall Equipment Effectiveness, a best practice that evaluates how productive a facility is each day. It analyzes production rates and attempts to determine areas that can be improved; on large production lines, it can be difficult to see whether operators

What is the difference between TPM and TQM?

Total productive maintenance and total quality management are two terms often used interchangeably when talking about Lean manufacturing. While the two programs do share a number of similarities, they are in fact two different approaches. Although both Lean, both terms have important distinctions. In fact, both methods should be used to achieve maximum efficiency in your facility. TQM, or total quality

How can I use visual communication in TPM?

When total productive maintenance is used in a facility, operators are trained to perform preventive and routine maintenance on the machines they work with every day. Operators should be trained to look for signs a piece of equipment may be failing or improvements that could be made. An easy and cost-effective way to enforce training and promote a TPM culture

What are the objectives of TPM?

Total productive maintenance is comprised of three things: objectives, goals, and tools/tactics. Like any other Lean manufacturing strategy, TPM aims to impact production, waste, and employee morale. However, it's objectives do set TPM apart from other tools. Goals and objectives are two terms commonly used interchangeably, but in fact have two different meanings. In terms of business, goals are seen as

What are the steps to implementing TPM?

Total productive maintenance is a strategy that must be carried out in a number of steps. Different organizations will have different needs for their specific TPM program, but the following are steps and actions a workplace will need to take in order to be adequately prepared for TPM implementation. Involve upper-management: This will need to happen at the very beginning of

How are TPM and Lean related?

The goal of Lean manufacturing is to systematically minimize and eliminate wastes within the manufacturing process will maximizing efficiency. To achieve this, Lean offers a number of tools and strategies, like total productive maintenance, that address different areas and wastes in the workplace. Maintenance is a staple to any industrial facility and is often thought of as reactive: when a machine

What are some tools of TPM?

Total productive maintenance aims to improve productivity in the workplace and reduce waste through its eight different pillars, a tall order! There are tools available however, that are designed to make your TPM journey a bit easier. Inspection cards: Brightly colored inspection tags are a great visual to communicate important inspection procedures for a specific piece of equipment. Operators will

How does TPM relate to OEE?

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a Lean term you will often see associated with TPM and is considered a manufacturing best practice. OEE drives action within total productive maintenance and is a tool used to assess a facility's productivity by assigning it a numerical value. The Father of TPM can actually be credited with the development of OEE. Seiichi Nakajima first

There is no concrete answer as to who first coined the term total productive maintenance and when it was first used; some say it is derived from American manufacturers decades ago, some credit the Toyota company Nippon Denso, and some consider Seiichi Nakajima to be the "Father of Total Productive Maintenance." While the true origins of TPM may be debated,

What are the pillars of TPM?

Total productive maintenance consists of eight primary concepts, also referred to as the 8 Pillars of TPM. These concepts are preventive in nature and empower employees to be proactive with the day-to-day maintenance of their own workspace. The pillars and corresponding actions are as follows: 1. Autonomous Maintenance - Shifting responsibility of routine maintenance from the maintenance personnel to the operators. Employees are

What does TPM stand for?

Lengthy delays occur and valuable resources are wasted when a machine or piece of equipment is always on the fritz, costing an organization big time. Total productive maintenance, or TPM, is a manufacturing concept that addresses this issue through preventive and predictive measures, integrating maintenance into daily activities, and instilling a sense of responsibility for equipment into employees. By taking

TPM Questions and Answers

TPM

Is your business looking for a Lean approach to equipment maintenance? Or are you looking to increase the OEE of your plant? Then look no further than total productive maintenance. Total productive maintenance, or TPM, is a holistic and comprehensive manufacturing concept that works to improve productivity by reducing defects, downtime, and speed losses while also promoting a safe and organized working environment.

Topics covered:
TPM can often be a tricky Lean strategy to implement, and in this Q&A section we hope to answer any questions you may have. Explore how to use other Lean tools alongside total productive maintenance and find some helpful tips for starting your own company-wide TPM program! Some of the things we will go over in this section include:

The eight pillars of TPM: TPM consists of eight strategies (or pillars) that ensure equipment is consistently maintained and inspected by instilling a sense of responsibility for equipment in all employees.
How to implement TPM: Learn how to implement TPM in your facility by gaining everyone’s participation, training, and establishing a target plan for your facility.
Useful tools: TPM mainly utilizes visual tools to help remind employees when the right time to perform maintenance on equipment is. We will go into depth and provide options for these necessary tools.

The above are just a handful of the most common questions about TPM to get you started on your Lean maintenance journey.

TPM Questions and Answers

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Guide

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