TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter examines one of the most misunderstood and misapplied concepts in modern organizations. Total productive maintenance is not as much a maintenance initiative or improvement program as it is a strategic operational philosophy.
Total productive maintenance (TPM) involves everyone in the organization, from operators to top management, in equipment improvement.
Equipment improvement does not just mean incremental improvements, but also optimum utilization of the equipment. The goal is to eliminate all equipment losses. There are many theories on exact number of equipment losses, but the basic six to eliminate are:
Breakdowns
Set up and adjustment losses
Idling and minor stoppage losses
Start up and shutdown losses
Reduced speed or capacity losses
Quality defects or rework
The goal is to eliminate all of these losses from the equipment operation, thus insuring maximum overall equipment efficiency. Eliminating these losses is beyond the ability of any one department. Therefore, TPM is an operational philosophy. All departments that impact the utilization of the equipment in some manner are involved; all must be part of the TPM program. Figure 11.1 illustrates the TPM philosophy.
As shown by the graphic, all departments must focus on how they impact the equipment. The diagram is the same as the one used to illustrate the Total Quality Management (TQM) process, except that instead of focusing on the product, TPM focuses on the equipment. In fact, companies that were successful with TQM are usually successful with the TPM process. However, those companies who...
