What Are the Benefits of Total Productive Maintenance?

Optimizing Operations: 10 Benefits of TPM (Total Productive Maintenance)

Perfect production — is it even possible?

Well, maybe an operation that’s 100% perfect all of the time isn’t a reality. But with total productive maintenance (TPM), it should be your goal.

We’ll explain how implementing TPM into your production system can help optimize operations and give you the top ten benefits of this philosophy. And then we’ll let you know how our software can help you achieve it all.

Table of Contents

• What Is TPM and Its Benefits?

• What Is the Goal of Total Productive Maintenance?

• 10 Benefits of Total Productive Maintenance

• Experience the Benefits of TPM With UpKeep’s CMMS Software

What Is TPM and Its Benefits?

Total productive maintenance (TPM) is the process of maximizing equipment effectiveness by getting all supporting departments actively involved. Problems with production can arise at even the best-planned facilities, but TPM is a lean manufacturing philosophy that can help you get as close as possible to the goal of perfect production, meaning zero defects and zero losses.

The benefits of TPM include:

• Less unplanned maintenance

• Reduced equipment downtime

• Lower manufacturing costs; and

• Boosted workplace safety

Before we dive into these benefits in detail, let's review the goal of TPM.

What Is the Goal of Total Productive Maintenance?

The goal of total productive maintenance is to improve overall productivity in the workplace by optimizing equipment availability. No downtime and no equipment failure means only production and profit, so your company can improve its efficiency and bottom line.

At UpKeep, one of our biggest goals is to provide management teams with the tools they need to optimize productivity and run operations effectively — as you would with TPM. 

Our preventive maintenance software helps maintenance professionals prevent asset breakdowns before they happen. And this is just one of the products you’ll have access to. Contact us today to request a demo and let us show you how UpKeep can provide you with the benefits of total productive maintenance.

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10 Benefits of Total Productive Maintenance

#1: Increased Quality Output

Quality Maintenance is one of the eight pillars of TPM and integrates process quality improvements throughout production. It focuses on maintaining equipment in its optimal condition, which helps prevent variations in product quality or defects. This not only leads to superior product quality but also reduces waste.

In industries where it’s critical to have the highest quality — such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace production, or other manufacturing companies — this is of the utmost importance.

#2: Improved Safety

The eight pillars of TPM stand atop a 5S foundation, which stands for:

1. Sort

2. Straighten

3. Shine

4. Standardize

5. Sustain

Continuously following these cyclical procedures leads to a safer workplace because it creates clean, efficient machines that are less likely to have potential issues lurking under layers of grime. It also helps reduce injuries that can be caused by a dirty workplace — for example, an employee slipping and falling in a puddle of oil.

Since TPM focuses on optimized layout and flow, clutter and movement are minimized, and product flow is maximized. This can also help prevent any workplace incidents that occur due to a disorderly environment, such as a messy station or tools that aren’t in the right place.

#3: Strategized Planned Maintenance

As opposed to reactive maintenance — which involves repairs being made only when they’re necessary because something breaks down or stops working entirely — TPM requires scheduling maintenance tasks based on predicted failure rates using data and measurements.

This adds to overall production efficiency by:

• Allowing equipment to be serviced during off-hours

• Reducing unplanned stoppages; and

• Decreasing the need for excessive replacement parts in inventory

#4: Reduced Unplanned Maintenance 

With TPM, every employee is responsible for equipment and machinery upkeep — not just the maintenance team. This creates a sense of ownership over the production line that helps decrease downtime and enhance efficiency.

While operators are running their machines, they are expected to execute:

• Cleaning routines

• Basic maintenance; and

• Equipment checks

By keeping their stations running like a literal well-oiled machine, this can not only reduce the need for unplanned maintenance but can also allow the maintenance staff to focus on bigger issues and add more value.

#5: Increased Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)

One of the main goals of TPM is to increase OEE or overall equipment effectiveness. This measures how effectively equipment is used over time.

TPM can lead to greater OEE by dealing with problems contributing to equipment loss, such as:

• Defects

• Downtime; and

• Speed losses

When these losses are reduced, companies can become more productive without having to invest funds in new equipment, leading to a more profitable bottom line.

#6: Lower Maintenance Costs

Maintaining production equipment can be quite expensive, especially as it ages. But TPM’s focus on preventive maintenance can help reduce costs by repairing machinery before it breaks down entirely. By being proactive, TPM reduces maintenance costs down the road.

Think about it — what costs more? Taking a few minutes to clean a piece of your machine every day or having to replace that piece when it breaks due to neglect? All these cost savings can add up greatly over time, not to mention the production downtime they help companies avoid.

#7: Continuous Improvement

This pillar of TPM comes from the Japanese concept of kaizen, which translates to “change for the better.” This business philosophy includes all employees and deals with any processes that continuously improve company operations gradually and methodically.

Under the philosophy of kaizen, there’s no resting on your laurels because there is always something that can be done better. And the responsibility falls on everyone.

Some of the ideas that make this work so well include:

• Improving everyday procedures

• Creating a team atmosphere

• Ensuring employee engagement

• Creating a safer environment

• Making the job more fulfilling

#8: Educated Employees

Having proactive and empowered employees is one of the optimum outcomes of TPM. By providing proper education and training to operators, maintenance teams, and managers, companies can reap the benefits of everyone working together for a greater goal.

This may look like:

• Operators refining their skills to diagnose issues before they happen and regularly maintaining equipment

• Maintenance teams perfecting preventive and proactive machinery management

• Managers training on TPM core principles and passing this information along to other staff members, ensuring that they’re all on the same page

#9: Greater Customer Satisfaction

While you’re increasing the production and efficiency of your company through TPM, this will trickle down and lead to a better customer experience. 

That’s because the quality maintenance pillar of TPM creates improvements in the production process that lead to reduced defects and improved quality. Customers are not only getting a better product, but they’re also receiving it faster than they would have before because of less equipment downtime, which results in increased satisfaction and repeat business.

#10: Improved Staff Morale

Using the TPM approach can enhance both customer and job satisfaction. Customers who are receiving a quality product at an efficient rate will be happy with the outcome. But the workers who help create these first-rate products in an efficient and error-free environment are bound to have a lot of happiness and pride in their jobs as well.

Think about it — would you be excited to go to work every day in an environment where you aren’t empowered to take charge and make your workplace better? Where you’re just waiting for something to break and then waiting even longer for someone to come fix it?

Having company-wide buy-in through TPM gives everyone responsibility for their own equipment, leading to increased pride and ownership of work. Constantly taking preventive steps instead of reactionary processes allows a more efficient process and increases everyone’s commitment to TPM’s philosophy.

Experience the Benefits of TPM With UpKeep’s CMMS Software

If your company is committed to implementing total productive maintenance, you need UpKeep’s CMMS for maintenance teams. Our Asset Operations Management solution is mobile-first and built with maintenance teams in mind.

With UpKeep preventive maintenance software, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips, including:

• Work orders

• Inventory; and

• Full life cycle information

We give maintenance technicians the tools they need to optimize efficiency and productivity. We also allow you to link vital data from the field with programs across the organization, allowing buy-in and involvement from all stakeholders.

If you’re interested in repeating the benefits of total productive maintenance for your company but don’t know where to start, let UpKeep help. Contact us today to request a demo.

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