An Introduction to Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, maintaining peak productivity is crucial for companies that want to stay ahead. However, achieving and sustaining high levels of productivity requires more than just efficient processes and skilled employees. 

It calls for an approach that encompasses every level of operation, including equipment maintenance. This is where total productive maintenance (TPM) steps in. Let’s learn how this approach can enhance maintenance practices, empower employees, and optimize your company’s productivity.

What Is Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)?

Not to be confused with total preventive maintenance, total productive maintenance (TPM) is a comprehensive approach to equipment maintenance and improvement that aims to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of production processes.

It involves all employees, from operators to maintenance staff, in the process of maintaining and improving equipment reliability.

There are three overarching principles of TPM:

1. Equipment management
   1. Autonomous maintenance
   2. Planned maintenance
   3. Equipment improvement
2. Process management
   1. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
   2. Kaizen (focused improvement)
3. People development
   1. Training and education
   2. Employee empowerment
   3. Safety and health

Using these principles, total productive maintenance restructures companies to prioritize the integration of people, equipment, and products.

The fundamental shift lies in replacing the traditional mindset of “I produce, and you fix it” with a collaborative approach of “You and I produce together.”.

The Basic Goals of TPM

Total productive maintenance has three basic objectives:

• Improve Equipment Reliability
• Optimize Product Quality and Performance
• Foster a Safe and Accountable Environment

To achieve these objectives, TPM operations adopt preventive maintenance techniques. However, the effectiveness of the TPM system ultimately hinges on the employees.

For instance, if an employee notices an increase in equipment vibration levels or a decline in production capacity, their commitment to the process will drive them to resolve the issue or promptly communicate it to the relevant personnel for resolution.

Also a part of these goals are the 5S’s. They’re a set of workplace organization and cleanliness principles aimed at creating an efficient and productive work environment. The 5S’s each start with the letter “S,” which describe the steps involved. They are:

1. Sort
2. Straighten 
3. Shine
4. Standardize
5. Sustain

5S implementation aligns with TPM’s objective of creating a clean, organized, and efficient work environment, which in turn contributes to improved productivity and equipment reliability.

What Are the Six Main Losses TPM Eliminates?

In order to increase productivity and profit in the industries, TPM aims to eliminate six main types of losses – aka the six big losses.

Losses 1 and 2 define the equipment’s availability rate; losses 3 and 4, the equipment’s efficiency rate and, lastly, losses 5 and 6 define the quality rate.

Loss #1: Equipment Downtime

When you need to change a piece of equipment or make an adjustment that requires the production to stop or reduce its pace, the number of items manufactured might reduce considerably.

There aren’t many ways to prevent downtime or unplanned stops, but you can increase the efficiency of those changes. During the process of preventive maintenance, the manager may end up deciding to change a piece of equipment much earlier than needed, which is a rather common mistake. Better safe than sorry, right? The problem is that the switch is sometimes unnecessary.

TPM aims to reduce or eliminate unplanned equipment downtime by leveraging data science in the field of maintenance.

Loss #2: Equipment Failures

TPM aims to prevent equipment failures by implementing proactive maintenance practices, such as regular inspections, lubrication, and component replacements. By addressing the root causes of failures, TPM reduces breakdowns and improves equipment reliability.

In some cases, one minor stop in any given industry may result in millions lost. Predictive maintenance practices, with the constant monitoring of equipment, are a good way of preventing small stops and other losses.

Loss #3: Setup and Changeover Time

Setup losses are very common in industries that manufacture two or more types of products. This happens because a considerable amount of items end up not being produced when the machine is being adjusted for the production of a new item.

TPM seeks to reduce the time required for equipment setup and changeover. By streamlining these processes and implementing efficient techniques, organizations can minimize the time wasted during equipment changeovers and maximize productive operating time.

Loss #4: Defects and Rework

The quality of a product is a crucial aspect that should not be overlooked. Failing to adhere to the required standards can result in scratches or defects, leading to the loss of those items for the industry. 

To minimize this, continuous equipment management plays a vital role in ensuring product quality and reducing costs associated with rework. By proactively managing and maintaining equipment, organizations can uphold product quality standards and mitigate the risks of defects, ultimately preserving valuable resources and avoiding unnecessary losses.

Additionally, TPM aims to eliminate defects and reduce the need for rework or quality-related issues by focusing on improving equipment performance and maintenance practices.

Loss #5: Production Losses

Sometimes equipment operates below its capacity or in slow cycles, which may generate considerable losses in production. That’s because when a piece of equipment is operating at a reduced speed, the industry starts producing fewer items than it should.

To prevent this type of loss it’s advisable to sensor the equipment so that you can identify the condition of its machines in real-time and intervene in case the asset is operating below its capacity.

Check out this blog explaining how TRACTIAN’s online monitoring sensor works.

Loss #6: Energy and Resource Waste

TPM also targets energy and resource waste by promoting efficient energy usage, reducing unnecessary consumption, and optimizing the use of resources. This helps minimize operational costs and contributes to sustaining the environment.

By effectively addressing and mitigating these losses using TPM practices, organizations can attain higher productivity, improved equipment reliability, enhanced product quality, cost reduction, and overall operational excellence.

The Eight Pillars of Total Productive Maintenance

TPM encompasses eight pillars or core principles that form the foundation of its implementation. These pillars provide a structured framework for its initiatives, and are as follows:

Autonomous maintenance

Autonomous Maintenance involves empowering equipment operators to take ownership of routine maintenance tasks. Operators are trained to perform simple maintenance activities, such as cleaning, inspection, lubrication, and minor adjustments. 

By involving operators in the maintenance process, equipment reliability and performance are improved, and potential issues are identified early on.

Planned maintenance

Planned Maintenance focuses on proactive, scheduled maintenance activities to prevent equipment breakdowns and failures. It includes creating maintenance plans, conducting regular inspections and planned stops, and performing preventive maintenance tasks based on equipment condition and operational requirements. 

This strategy helps extend equipment lifespan, reduce performance loss, and optimize maintenance resources.

Quality maintenance

Quality maintenance emphasizes maintaining and improving the quality of the production process and products. It involves identifying and addressing potential quality issues, implementing measures to prevent defects, and constantly monitoring and improving quality standards. 

This pillar ensures that equipment operates within specified parameters to produce high-quality products consistently, with no quality loss.

Focused improvements

The focused improvement pillar in TPM emphasizes continuous improvement through problem identification, root cause analysis, solution generation, implementation, and monitoring.

It encourages employees to proactively identify and address inefficient practices in the production process, leading to incremental improvements and enhanced productivity.

Early Equipment Management

Early Equipment Management (EEM) involves considering maintenance and reliability aspects during the design and installation of new equipment. EEM ensures that equipment is reliable, easy to maintain, and meets the desired performance criteria. 

By involving maintenance professionals in the early stages of equipment development, potential issues are addressed upfront, leading to improved reliability and reduced maintenance requirements.

Education and Training

This pillar focuses on providing necessary knowledge and skills to employees involved in TPM activities. It includes training operators on equipment maintenance, educating maintenance staff on advanced maintenance techniques, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development. 

Effective training and education ensure that employees are equipped to perform their TPM-related tasks proficiently.

Safety, health, and environment

This pillar focuses on creating a safe and healthy work environment, addressing safety hazards, promoting accident prevention, and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. 

TPM emphasizes the well-being of employees and the preservation of the work area as integral components of maintenance operations.

Administrative

Administrative and Office TPM extends the TPM principles beyond the production floor to administrative and office areas. It aims to improve administrative processes, enhance efficiency, eliminate waste, and optimize workflows in non-production departments. 

This pillar recognizes the importance of TPM practices in the overall organization, beyond the shop floor.

The Steps to Implement TPM

In order to implement total productive maintenance in your facility, consider following these steps:

• Gain management commitment and support.
• Assess current maintenance practices and organizational readiness.
• Provide TPM awareness and training.
• Form cross-functional TPM teams with defined responsibilities.
• Analyze equipment and processes for improvement opportunities.
• Implement autonomous maintenance by empowering operators.
• Develop a proactive planned maintenance strategy.
• Integrate quality maintenance practices.
• Measure and improve Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE).
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and expand TPM implementation.

Implement TPM With TRACTIAN

An excellent example of an asset monitoring tool to use alongside a TPM operation is TRACTIAN’s Smart Trac sensor. This USPTO-patented IoT technology gathers real-time data on vibration, hour meter, and temperature from industrial assets. The data is then transmitted to TRACTIAN’s online monitoring platform, which analyzes it.

This analysis generates insights, diagnostics, and prescriptions, automatically notifying the maintenance manager of potential failures. This online system eliminates the need for constant team presence. Access to the platform is available through browsers, cell phones, or tablets via the TRACTIAN App.

If you’d like to implement TPM or have questions about equipment monitoring, TRACTIAN can help. Reach out to a specialist or schedule a demo for more information.