Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is based on the idea that everyone in a facility, not only the maintenance personnel, should engage in maintenance. This method takes advantage of all employees' talents and aims to include maintenance in a facility's daily operations. Many areas of a facility will improve, when everyone in the organization thinks about and contributes to upkeep.

There are tangible KPIs associated with Total Productive Maintenance, as it is a maintenance philosophy. TPM is based on a "5S" basis, supported by eight pillars. The first steps in a TPM program will be to lay a 5S foundation and design an autonomous maintenance plan. This frees maintenance staff to work on larger projects and do more preventative maintenance.

Short-term success can be achieved by implementing a TPM program. The trick is to keep that success alive for as long as possible. It all begins with the employees. If employees believe in the TPM program, envision the company's improved future, and see how this enhanced future benefits them, it can foster a strong sense of unity.