Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) - What is it?

You may have heard the acronym TPM or the words "Total Productive Maintenance," but what do they mean? What is TPM and can it help you improve your bottom line?

TPM is defined as an equipment management program that uses equipment operator involvement in machine maintenance and in continuously improving machine operation. The person who best knows a machine, is also the person responsible for routine machine maintenance. The result is that problems are identified and repaired sooner, reducing the need to major overhauls and long maintenance outages. Machines run longer and are more productive.

A good way to learn more about TPM, and the benefits of TPM, is by reading a short booklet about TPM that is available free. Called An Introduction to TPM, this easy-to-read guide provides a comprehensive introduction to TPM and the benefits of TPM. It gives you the information you need to take the first step in evaluating whether TPM can be a benefit in your company or organization.

Living in Ohio and Loving Japan

Just checking in ...

Last we heard, our heroes at Dana Holding Corp. were battling the evil auspices of bankruptcy, looking for a protagonist -- a champion among men -- to wield his lean sword and rescue them from their inefficiency laden business practices.

Turn the page past Chapter 11, and Dana is now posting gains in the millions since Toyota veteran Gary Convis proved to be just the knight in shining armor they needed.

The automobile-components manufacturer and supplier pulled out of a $550-million loss from 2007 with a little lean manufacturing savvy from Convis, who was named Dana's CEO just months ago.

January through March of this year saw a posted profit of $685 million, compared with a $92-million loss posted this same time last year for the Toledo-based company.

Dana has been one of the few auto parts suppliers to emerge smiling in a landscape of declining vehicle production. The Fortune 500 company has been coping with the unprecedented increase in steel prices by saving in other areas.

"Our goal is to drive out waste in all the systems and business' process," Convis said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press.

In that vein, Dana has been taking its cues from a Toyota philosophy embedded deep in Convis' heart: Total Productive Maintenance. Aimed at streamlining processes and promoting worker autonomy, TPM's ultimate benefit is an increase in machine and equipment efficiency and longevity. Sometimes just bypassing costly repairs and extreme maintenance costs is enough to help out a company's bottom line. But in this case, Toyota implementation had to go a bit further.

Dana saw a total overhaul with a radical lean restructuring plan and an accounting boost. And with the addition of another Toyota veteran, VP of operation excellence Marty Bryant, Convis is poised to keep Dana functioning Toyota-style: lean and mean and barreling ahead. No more Chapter 11s for this fairytale. It's hard to say what's next in Dana's story, but with Convis running this Fortune 500 kingdom, peace should prevail for the time being as workers happily dance along autonomously whilst that great beast known as insolvency stays locked up.

So close! Don't overlook this in TPM ...

Uh, oh ...

The much-championed TPM has one tiny downer: An alleged increase in work-related injuries.

With all the potential benefits of implementing the Total Productive Maintenance philosophy, there are a few disadvantages. In the throes of championing worker autonomy, someone forgot to mention that a more diversified worker can potentially mean more diversified injuries.

It happens like this ... A worker uses his machine with skill and ease. In a wave of TPM implementation, he learns to clean and maintain it. Blades are checked and cleaned, the engine is serviced, the functionality of various parts is tested periodically, and needed lubrication is performed. With each new task, the potential for injury increases.

“Not surprisingly, strains and sprains continue to be the bane of many companies, especially with increasingly autonomous workers who act as they think best,” said Robert Prater, a director with Strategic Safety, in an article for Occupational Health & Safety.

So what's the solution? In the enthusiasm to implement TPM, be sure to address safety concerns. A more weighted workload will inevitably introduce more ways to get hurt. Safety training in addition to simple operation training is necessary, but often overlooked. Cleaning supplies can be harmful to the skin or eyes; sharp blades are dangerous to clean or lubricate. There are many potential hazards in any task in nearly any given facility that ought to be addressed, especially for a worker who is newly trained to perform such tasks. Fortunately, OSHA has set in place myriad standards for training and safety

Conversely, the benefits of TPM still far outweigh any negative aspects. The goal of TPM is to maximize equipment effectiveness and longevity and reduce and eliminate loss. These goals are accomplished through three main objectives: standardizing procedures for consistency, streamlining procedures with visual communication, and maximizing the use of space and resources (people and equipment). That last element – maximizing resources – can't be achieved without necessary training on both operational and safety fronts.

Become TPM Savvy with Labels

Total Productive Maintenance, or TPM, is a wide-ranging program meant to maximize equipment availability. This is achieved with preventive and predictive maintenance. A central idea in TPM is the concept of self-directed maintenance, wherein machine operators are responsible for the routine maintenance and operations of their machines and equipment. With regular, routine maintenance, cleaning, and necessary upgrades, machines and equipment should ultimately improve in functionality and longevity. The major goal of TPM is total elimination of all losses – lost equipment, lost time, lost money. Eradicating these things can lead to improved utilization of production assets and plant capacity, as well as a boost in worker morale.

Graphic Products, Inc., an Oregon-based manufacturer and supplier of industrial-grade printing and labeling products and supplies, provides a key element in getting any facility organized and functional to comply with the TPM philosophy: Labels. By properly and plainly labeling areas, equipment, and maintenance protocol, a workplace will stay more organized and ultimately run more efficiently.

The concept of implementing a standardized labeling system in any facility promotes visual communication, which is simply the idea of communicating pertinent information to a person at the exact point that information is needed. For example, in a wave of TPM overhaul, some specific machinery could be affixed with a series of labels and signage: OSHA-compliant warning labels, RTK labels indicating the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) required for running that machinery, as well as a sign detailing operating instructions, and a sign detailing a maintenance plan. All of this information is presented graphically at the very place the operator most needs it. This is visual communication, and it is a highly effective tool for enhancing efficiency and productivity. Any uncertainty about operating, cleaning, or maintaining the machinery should be eliminated; accidents and injuries should decrease because any hazards or warnings are clearly posted. Graphic Products, Inc., makes this possible with the DuraLabel PRO, the premier labeling machine.This desktop thermal-transfer label printer is extremely versatile and quickly prints anything from small wire wraps to reflective parking signs with the help of your own PC.

As workers become more self-sufficient and proficient in their duties with the help of visual communication, the TPM philosophy can be sustained and a more efficient and ultimately more productive workplace will emerge.

Learn more about how TPM can improve your workplace by requesting a TPM guide, sent to you free.