Total Productive Maintenance or TPM

Total Productive Maintenance or TPM. The word Total indicates a very large program or effort from the maintenance department. But in reality, the word Total in this context means ALL departments and functions of the business. It is simple to understand if you pose the question, "What would happen to your business if we made the decision not to use production machines?" The answer is clear, every department would suffer because the means of creating profit (the transformation of raw material into a sellable product) would be stopped. If the product is not flowing to the customer, then nobody has a job. Therefore, everyone in the business has skin in the game with regards to the equipment running properly.

We can see how TPM incorporates all aspects of the production process by simply looking at the titles of what is known as the Pillars of TPM. 

These Pillars are:

1. Autonomous Maintenance or Operator Based Maintenance
2. Focused Improvement
3. Planned Maintenance
4. Quality Management
5. Early Equipment Management
6. Education and Training
7. Administrative and Office TPM
8. Environmental Health & Safety

Six Big Losses

For each and every piece of production equipment, there are Six basic types of losses that can be categorized as follows. 

These are known as the Six Big Losses.

1. Failure
2. Setup/Changeovers and Adjustments
3. Idling and Minor Stoppages
4. Reduced Speed 
5. Defects and Rework
6. Startup Loss

L2L's CloudDispatch Software can help you implement the workflows of TPM for everyday use at your facility. Ask us how today!