Chapter List

Chapter Aims and Outcomes

To define total productive maintenance (TPM), its history, its application and its limitations.

On completion of this chapter you should be able to:

• define TPM and describe its history;

• understand the concepts, principles and structure of TPM;

• appreciate the extent of the application of TPM in European industry and the reasons for its success;

• understand the limitations of TPM.

Chapter Route Map

Key Words

• TPM

• Autonomous teams

• Just-in-time

• Total quality management (TQM)

• Overall equipment effectiveness

• Kaizen

• Participation

13.1 Introduction

One of the major trends in European industry is the adoption of the Japanese technique (and underlying philosophy) of TPM. Its main users are the motor manufacturers and associated industries, although there are some applications of its use in the process industries. This development is of such significance that the devotion of a chapter to its review is more than justified.

13.2 What is TPM?

This question is not easy to answer since every company seems to have its own interpretation. It is a technique which has been developed by Japanese manufacturing industry in order to provide both effective and efficient (and hence productive) maintenance in response to the needs of Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing and Total Quality Management (TQM). Indeed, it has been said by one of its originators that JIT and TQM are just not possible without...