When downtime halts production or requires maintenance, the costs are high. That’s why processes have been created to avoid this. Enter total productive maintenance (TPM). But what is TPM?
In this article, we will explain what TPM is, its advantages, how to implement TPM, and its relationship with overall equipment effectiveness, Six Sigma, and Lean Manufacturing. We’ll also share a way you can get certified in quality management techniques through an online Six Sigma bootcamp.
What Is Total Productive Maintenance?
Deloitte reports that industrial manufacturers lose over 800 production hours annually, costing more than $2 million for large-scale manufacturers.
Such downtime is common. Eight in 10 companies face unplanned downtime. Total productive maintenance is a management approach to prevent stoppages and optimize equipment output.
Total productive maintenance is a comprehensive strategy to optimize facilities and equipment for optimal output while reducing waste, defects, accidents, and unplanned downtime.
What is TPM? The 8 Pillars of TPM
Effective TPM programs leverage eight pillars focusing mainly on improving equipment performance and reliability. The pillars that define total productive maintenance include:
Autonomous Maintenance
Autonomous maintenance involves regular and preventive maintenance tasks carried out by operators, such as lubrication, cleaning, and servicing of production lines. By assigning operators a higher level of responsibility, you enable early identification of equipment issues before they escalate into critical problems.
Kaizen
Kaizen is a Japanese term that means ongoing and continuous improvement. It encourages collaborative efforts among teams to achieve incremental process improvements and problem-solving using cross-functional approaches.
Planned Maintenance
Rather than waiting for equipment to break down, planned maintenance schedules maintenance activities based on data. Data-informed maintenance helps keep equipment operating more efficiently and reduces the risk of breakdowns.
Early Equipment Management
Early equipment management leverages existing knowledge of current technology to develop improved and more efficient machines. A better understanding of machines during operation helps optimize performance levels and maintenance.
Quality Maintenance
Quality maintenance improves production quality by identifying and resolving the root cause of failures or defects.
Training and Education
To provide continuous improvement, TPM requires comprehensive training and education to address employee skills gaps. Team members must know best practices for operation and how to apply TPM knowledge for optimal performance.
SHE (Safety, Health, Environment)
SHE prioritizes a safe and healthy environment for all team members to mitigate the risk of accidents.
TPM in Administration
TPM also seeks to improve operations through every area that impacts operations, including administration and structure. This includes areas such as order processing, procurement, routing, and scheduling.
The 5S Foundation of TPM
The core elements of total productive maintenance are called 5S, since each element starts with the letter S. Implementing these five strategies helps improve efficiency and reduce waste. Elements include:
- Sort. Differentiate essential tools, materials, and equipment from those of lesser importance and eliminate unnecessary items from the work area.
- Straighten. Arrange all vital elements systematically, ensuring their constant availability in the appropriate location and time.
- Shine. Regularly examine and maintain cleanliness in the workplace, including tools and equipment, to prevent any potential equipment malfunctions.
- Standardize. Create a framework and establish explicit guidelines to facilitate the implementation of the aforementioned three Ss.
- Sustain. Guarantee the long-term preservation of the 5S methodology by consistently improving and conducting regular safety regulation audits.
A Brief History of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
TPM was first developed in Japan by Seiichi Nakajima in the 1950s and first implemented in 1960. TPM became part of Toyota’s workflow and significantly reduced equipment-related problems, enabling the evolution of the just-in-time (JIT) strategy for production. George Smith, the founder of the Marshall Institute, helped establish the formal procedures and philosophy of TPM.
Today, thousands of companies globally employ total production maintenance as part of their regimen to maintain operational reliability.
Advantages of TPM
Effective TPM strategies provide key benefits for businesses to improve operations and safety, including reducing downtime and unplanned maintenance.
Other advantages include:
- Lower manufacturing costs
- Fewer defects
- Improved safety
- Higher employee satisfaction
- Increased equipment life spans
- More efficient equipment use
Who Is Responsible for Total Productive Management?
TPM is a shared responsibility and requires a holistic approach to employing the foundation and pillars of TPM. The best-performing manufacturers have cross-functional teams that manage and monitor the TPM process, including top management, reliability engineers, operators, and maintenance teams.
What is TPM? Calculating TPM
To calculate TPM, you must first calculate several components sequentially that go into the TPM formula:
Planned Production Time (PPT)
PPT calculates the total available time during a period, excluding any planned downtime.
Planned Production Time Formula PPT = Total Available Time – Planned Downtime
Operating Time (OT)
OT is the actual amount of time equipment was in operation, including both planned and unplanned downtime. To calculate OT, take PPT and subtract the total amount of downtime.
Operating Time Formula OT = PPT – Total Downtime
Availability
Next, you need to calculate availability, which measures the percentage of time equipment was available for use.
Availability Formula Availability = ( OTT / PTT ) x 100
Performance Efficiency (PE)
Performance efficiency details how effectively equipment performs, including factors such as reduced speeds. Ideal cycle time is how long it should take to complete a production cycle, assuming optimal conditions.
Performance Efficiency Formula PE = [ Total Output / ( Ideal Cycle Time x OT ) ] x 100
Quality Rate
Quality rate calculates the percentage of production output that meets quality standards.
Quality Rate Formula
Quality Rate = ( Good Output / Total Output ) x 100
Overall Equipment Effectiveness
The best way to measure TPM is by calculating overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), which is the final step in measuring TPM. With all of the above calculations complete, you can measure OEE.
OEE Formula OEE = Availability x Performance Efficiency x Quality Rate
What Is the Connection Between TPM and OEE?
Designed to support the TPM initiative, OEE tracks progress toward achieving the goal of perfect production.
OEE and 6 Big Losses
OEE also includes what is referred to as the “Six Big Losses,” which are used as a framework to identify and mitigate productivity loss and further break down OEE components.
Availability Loss
- Equipment failures, such as unexpected breakdowns or equipment malfunctions
- Setup and adjustment time, including the time it takes for machine changeover, adjustments, or setups between processes or production runs
Performance Loss
- Idling and minor stoppages that result in pauses in production
- Slow running, such as machines that operate at slower speeds than capacity and create lower productivity or longer cycle times
Quality Loss
- Defects and rework due to quality issues that require corrective action
- Reduced yield, such as the loss of time and materials due to any of the above actions
Manufacturers can improve overall equipment effectiveness by identifying the cause of the Six Big Losses.
How to Implement Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
Now that you have a solid answer to the question “What is TPM?” let’s review how to put it into action. Implementing TPM uses five steps:
Step 1: Identify a Pilot Area
TPM generally starts by choosing equipment for a pilot program to demonstrate the value of TPM for the staff. While you can choose any machine for your pilot program, it helps to choose equipment that is problematic or has less-than-desired output. You may also want to choose the easiest equipment to improve to show faster results.
Step 2: Restore Equipment to Prime Operating Condition
You need to restore equipment to optimal operating conditions using the principle of the 5S system. This creates a baseline performance metric from which to measure.
Step 3: Measure OEE
Next, measure OEE for your pilot machine over time, detailing any particular equipment failures, quality issues, and unplanned downtime.
Step 4: Address Major Losses
With the OEE snapshot, you can address specific issues that are causing the most significant problems. A cross-functional team of operators, supervisors, and maintenance personnel is generally the most successful, breaking down steps in the process to find and mitigate the root cause.
Step 5: Implement Planned Maintenance
The final step in TPM is to implement a proactive maintenance program. By monitoring data, you can better predict when machines need equipment to maintain peak efficiency and schedule maintenance to avoid unplanned downtime.
How Are Six Sigma and Lean Management Related to TPM?
Both Six Sigma and Lean Management emphasize continuous improvement through structured problem-solving techniques. As such, TPM addresses a core component of these management strategies, helping to improve equipment performance and operational efficiency as part of your goal of continuous improvement.
Six Sigma uses the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) framework to address specific problems. Lean Management works to rid waste and improve production flow by eliminating activities that do not add value.
Are You Interested in a Certification in Quality Management?
You can learn all about quality management with this IASSC-accredited Lean Six Sigma course from Simplilearn, in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts.
This 24-week online bootcamp teaches the skills you need for a career in quality management, including:
- Agile management
- Digital transformation
- Lean management
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
- Minitab
- DMAIC principles
Download the syllabus or apply online for the Lean Six Sigma course today.
