TPM (Total Productive Maintenence)

Total Productive Maintenance is a major element in Lean Manufacturing. . As Lean Manufacturing teaches to reduce batch production and lead times, it is critical that machinery operates as intended without failure. The TPM discipline shows that machinery should never or rarely break down, because the equipment is kept in new condition. TPM is critical in reducing or eliminating breakdowns, but is also vital to reducing small stops from minor failures. TPM increases Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). OEE measures the overall effectiveness of machinery, which includes comparison of actual speed versus theoretical, and machine run time versus available time. If the machine is not available because of maintenance, OEE is reduced. Prior to TPM, in many industries, operators ran the machine, and maintenance fixed it, or tried to prevent failures through preventive maintenance. TPM involves the operators of the machine working with maintenance and management to keep machinery operating as it did when delivered, often better. Operators in a total productive maintenance system do much of the routine maintenance. This often includes greasing the machine and changing wear items. Some companies with effective TPM have operators doing almost all of the maintenance on their equipment, thus freeing up the maintenance staff for improvement activities. New operators work with maintenance on all repairs to their machines until they are able to perform the tasks themselves. TPM is one of the most effective disciplines in a lean manufacturing system. Producing without lead times and inventory demands better maintenance of all equipment. Without excellent maintenance systems, lean manufacturing systems will have problems