Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)

TPM stands for Total Productive Maintenance. This is anything an organization has to do in order to remain up and running. Some examples are scheduled machine maintenance, rotating inventory if there is a shelf life, timely 5S audits, as well as daily checklists for operations.

This is a sample of TPM “standard work” on a machine that an operator performs each time they go to use the machine.

With this particular document, before the operator even turns on the machine there is a step-by-step checklist that must be performed. You can mold this process into something that works for you. Companies in the past have also created a log with a date, name of operator, and their signature. That way if something malfunctions at any time the management team can discover who was the last to touch the machine. This isn’t meant to be used as a “gotchya” but more of a signature to when and what happened. This can spark retraining, process improvement, etc. Not only that but it provides a solid basis on when the last checkup on the machine was performed. Total Productive Maintenance develops a cadence at which the factory fixes and updates its machines on a timely basis. Instead of fixing something when it “breaks down” we now have a planned time of attack and it creates less of a rumble in the daily routine of work.

In partnership with the Total Productive Maintenance of machines you can also use poka yoke (mistake proofing). So, with this example the operator may not be able to receive the key to the machine until he/she has complied with the checklist. This would prevent the machine from being turned on at an inappropriate time. There are numerous ways to use the poka yoke system to your advantage. Some common poka yoke systems we see everyday include: three-prong outlets, seatbelts, elevator doors, and automatic stoves. These are just four examples of poka yoke that we encounter everyday. This can also be applied to systems like the machine lock out stated previously.

Please contact us for any of your total productive maintenance (TPM) needs in the Philadelphia, PA region or across the country.