TPM – Total Productive Maintenance Pillars

Developed in the early 50s, Total Productive Maintenance is a program for increasing
efficiency of machines and processes which stands on eight pillars with 5S as its
foundation.

TPM 5S Foundation
5S is considered the foundation of the lean TPM program because without it the
initiative will founder under the weight of disorganization, indiscipline and
inefficiency.

It is important because it results in a clean, visually organized workplace that is self-

maintaining. 5S consists of five basic steps:

 Sorting all the items in the workplace and removing everything that is not
necessary and does not contribute to the creation of value for the customer
 Setting in Order everything that remains in an organized manner such that
find items and raw materials is easy. This reduces waiting and searching time in
the process enhancing the flow of value throughout the value chain
 Shining (Cleaning) is a way of making any abnormalities visible as well
ensuring that quality of the final product is of a high standard. It has been
observed that a clean and organized workplace has a positive effect on worker
morale, not to mention that it also ingrains a sense discipline – all of which has
an impact on overall productivity
 Standardizing ensures that the improvements made are documented for
posterity as well as serving as a basis for further improvements and training
 Sustaining the improvements through scheduled audits is a way of stabilizing
the system by ensuring the agreed standards are been followed. Audits also
serve as a measure of the effectiveness of the established standards – feedback
that can be used to determine whether the standards need further revision or
improvement.

The 5S program sets the pace for the introduction of Total Productive Maintenance
and must be fully mature before any attempts are made to implement other aspects of
the system.

As a stand-alone component, 5S is very effective in improving the organizational

metrics and has been shown to increase aspects such as productivity and quality.
For example, if the workplace is clean and organized, tools used in maintenance are
easily located – this has a positive effect on machine uptime.

The Eight TPM Pillars

Once a high degree of stability is established using the 5S program, an organization
can start implementing the total productive maintenance in earnest.

Total productive maintenance has eight pillars that are aimed at proactively
establishing reliability of machines.

One point that has to be made here is that people are centre of this system and must be
continuously trained to identify and eliminate waste.

It is a system that is based on a clear set of principles and structures and should not be
interpreted to be a set of tools or techniques to be applied haphazardly.

TPM Pillar 1: Autonomous Maintenance (Jishu Hozen)

Jishu Hozen or Autonomous Maintenance places the responsibility of basic
maintenance activities on the hands of the operators and leaves the maintenance staff
with more time to attend to more complex maintenance tasks.

Maintenance activities that are carried out by shop floor workers include basic
cleaning of machines, lubricating, oiling, and tightening of nuts and bolts, inspection,
diagnosis of potential problems and other actions that increase the productive life of
machines or equipment.

By carrying out these maintenance activities, the workers become more responsible
towards their work and downtime is reduced because there is no need of waiting for
maintenance staff as they can correct simple problems that may occur from time to
time.

Maintenance staff on the other hand will be more concerned with issues that require a
higher technical ability such as replacement and servicing of internal parts. They will
also carry out scheduled or planned maintenance which means production will not be
interrupted unnecessarily.

Autonomous maintenance has benefits to both the workers and the organization as a
whole:
  Operators become more responsible and concerned about the condition of
equipment they use on a daily basis
 Skill levels of workers increase as they gain an understanding of the general
working of equipment thus achieving the multi-skilling objective of a lean
organization
 Machines operate at their optimal level because basic maintenance such as
cleaning and lubrication is carried out more regularly
 Problems are identified and corrected before they go out of control leading to
major breakdown of equipment.
 Engineering staff are freed-up to carry out higher-level maintenance activities
on sensitive and critical equipment thus reducing the overall system downtime

By carrying out the simple activities in this TPM pillar, capital investments are
drastically reduced because the organization has reliable equipment and does not have
to replace machines as often. This is because the lifespan of machines is drastically
increased as forced deterioration is checked through constant monitoring and
maintenance.

TPM Pillar 2: Planned Maintenance

Planned maintenance is the scheduling of maintenance activities based on observed
behaviour of machines such as failure rates and breakdowns. By scheduling these
activities around such metrics, the cycle of breakdowns and failure is broken thus
contributing to a longer service life of machines.

Because there is a specific time for maintaining equipment, production is rarely

interrupted as these activities are scheduled around the time when they are idle or are
producing very little. In fact, production functions can build up some inventory to
allow for the planned maintenance to be carried out as they have prior information of
when these activities are scheduled.

This is in contrast to reactive maintenance that waits for problems to occur which has
a negative impact on productivity due to machine downtime. Production will never be
sure when they will be able to get back to work because the problems are not clear
and technicians will just be doing exploratory work to find causes.

There are many obvious benefits of taking the planned maintenance approach as
compared to being reactive when technical issues arise:

 By constantly scheduling maintenance activities, the number of breakdowns

gradually decrease and this then increases the capacity for productive activities
  Production functions can continue with their activities uninterrupted because
they know exactly when maintenance will take place.
 Maintenance is done when the production floor is not very busy
 Capital investments in machinery are reduced as the equipment is utilized to its
fullest potential
 Expensive machine parts do not have to be kept in inventory as there is better
control of the various categories of parts.

Pillar 3: Quality Maintenance

This TPM pillar addresses the issue of quality by ensuring equipment is able to detect
and prevent errors during production. By detecting errors, processes become reliable
enough to produce the right specification the first time.

The quality aspect of maintenance is very important because it helps in preventing

defects from moving down the value chain which only leads to a lot of rework.

Using lean tools such autonomation (jidoka) and andon, machines detect and report
any abnormal conditions, thereby releasing the operators from the tedious monitoring
that is common in non-lean operations.

The quality maintenance pillar of TPM also ingrains in the workforce the habit of
finding the root cause of problems instead of rushing to solutions that are not
permanent. This is done through tools such as 5 Whys root-cause-analysis and
Ishakawa diagrams which are structured ways of getting to the real reasons why
problems occur.

Quality maintenance offers a number of advantages including:

 Targeted improvement activities address quality issues that arise from time to
time in the workplace by coming up with permanent countermeasures
 Defects are minimized or completely eliminated
 Cost of poor quality is reduced by getting quality right the first time. This
happens because errors are caught before they move down the value stream
which reduces the amount of rework that has to be done to correct them

Pillar 4: Focused Improvement (Kobetsu Kaizen)

In this pillar, cross-functional teams are assembled with the main working on
problematic equipment and coming up with improvement suggestions.
The use of cross-functional teams is important so as to have a large and varied number
of employees involved so as to bring in different experience as well as viewpoints to
the table.

These teams are better placed to come up with solutions to the issues that arise
concerning crucial machines. The kaizen projects for maintenance also serve as
training sessions on the total productive maintenance tool which results in the
organization having a large pool of skilled personnel.

Once a focussed improvement team for maintenance has been identified and trained,
they choose at least one piece of equipment as a pilot for their activities. Problems
relating to the equipment are identified and improvement goals set in a three to five
day in-house kaizen event.

During the events, the participants map the current state of affairs as a baseline
performance measure on which they will compare any future performance after
improvement.

The teams work together to make sure that any solutions that they come up with are
implemented and any follow-up activities are completed within the agreed timelines.

The focussed improvement pillar of TPM is therefore advantageous as quick gains are
made which helps in promoting the lean methodology to workers who may not have
bought in to the program.

The organization is able to build-up a large base of employees that are conversant
with the right tools for solving problems and getting to the root cause.

Pillar 5: Early Equipment Maintenance

The fifth TPM pillar of Early Management uses the experience gathered from
previous maintenance improvement activities to ensure that new machinery reaches its
optimal performance much early than usual.

Working with a myriad of stake-holders including suppliers, the company is able to

hit the ground running with highly reliable and productive equipment.

Such an approach has a positive impact on profitability of the company as

maintenance costs are dramatically reduced.

The productivity as well as output quality of the machines is also guaranteed from the
very first day when the equipment is commissioned.
Using the input from the people who use these machines on a daily basis, suppliers of
the equipment can improve the maintainability and operability in the next iteration of
their products.

Among the factors that should be considered when designing new equipment include:

 Ease of cleaning and inspection

 Ease of lubrication
 Accessibility of equipment parts
 Improving operability of machines through ergonomically placing controls in
such a way that they are comfortable to use by operators
 Making it easier for changeover to take place through simplification of
procedures or eliminating the unnecessary ones
 Feedback mechanisms that prevent out-of-spec situations as well as clear
indications of the correct specifications for quality products
 Increased safety features

Though the machines may be designed and manufactured with all the above
considerations in mind, it is still possible that there will be bugs that will need to be
removed before full commissioning.

Early management is a system that addresses these concerns and uses input from the
staff who will be using the equipment before installation.

Pillar 6: Education and Training

This pillar is concerned with filling the knowledge gap that exists in an organization
when it comes to total productive maintenance.

Lack of knowledge in the tools can stand in the way of proper implementation leading
to mediocre results at best and failure at worst.

Without proper training, tools such as TPM can be misunderstood by the staff which
can result in disastrous results for the company.

Ensuring that employees are trained gives the organization a reliable pool of
knowledgeable staff that can drive the initiative competently.

TPM education and training pillar is a company-wide initiative that does not leave out
any employee cadre. In fact, all levels in the organization – from the operators to
senior managers – get involved in the TPM training as well projects.
Through training, operators’ skills levels are raised to the point where they are able to
carry-out basic maintenance activities that were previously the preserve of
maintenance staff.

The technical staff are then taught higher level skills such as preventive maintenance
and analytical skills to help become more proactive to problem solving.

At the managerial level, managers also learn the TPM skills so as to become
competent mentors to their juniors as well as be involved in coaching programs.

Pillar 7: Health, Safety & Environment

That workers must be able to perform their functions in a safe environment devoid of
health risks cannot be gainsaid.

The health, safety and environment pillar of total productive maintenance ensures that
all workers are provided with an environment that is safe and that all conditions that
are harmful to their well-being are eliminated.

While the goal of any organization is to produce value for the customer in an efficient
and productive manner, this should be done in a way that is does not put to risk the
safety of workers. It is therefore important that any solutions which are put in place
should consider the well-being of the worker above all else.

When workers are in a safe environment, their attitude towards work changes
dramatically with a resultant increase in important metrics such as productivity. This
is because injuries or fatalities reduce when there is a concerted effort to make the
workplace an accident-free environment.

The cross-functional teams will work towards making machines safe to use by the
operators by putting in place such features as guards, works standards, use of personal
protective equipment and first-aid kits in the work-area. Each of these measures are
aimed at improving the safety of the machines so as to have a more productive work-
force.

Pillar 8: TPM in Office Functions

Taking TPM to the administrative functions is the next logical step in the total
productive maintenance program so as to have the whole organization speaking from
the same page.
As these are supportive functions, making them understand and apply the principles of
lean in their own operations makes it easy for them to provide efficient service to the
main value-creating processes.

In addition, spreading the initiative into other functions removes the silo mentality and
encourages horizontal cooperation within the workforce. The organization will also
benefit by having a larger pool of workers who understand the principles of TPM and
can easily be called upon to play a positive role in its implementation.

The TPM principles can also be applied as stand-alone techniques to improve the
efficiency of these supportive functions. For example, if the administrative functions
are able to improve their order processing procedures, then material will get to the
shop-floor in a flawless manner which will have a positive effect on the workflow.

If suppliers are paid on time, they will have the ability to provide the services that
they have been contracted to give without any problem.

As we conclude with this pillar, it is important to note that each has its role in the
greater scheme of things and should be employed at the appropriate time.

While each TPM pillar has can be applied as a stand-alone component, the aim should
be to sequentially implement each of the pillars so as to have get the full benefits of a
complete system.

Summary Total Productive Maintenance Pillars

TPM Pillars Description Advantages
Hands operators of equipment Operators feel responsible for their
Autonomous
responsibility to carry out basic machines, equipment becomes more
Maintenance
maintenance of equipment reliable
Planned Maintenance scheduled using the Maintenance can be scheduled when
Maintenance historic failure rate of equipment production activities are few
Quality ingrained in the equipment so Defect reduction & consequent profit
Quality
as to reduce defects improvement
Use of cross-functional teams for Improves problem solving capabilities
Kobetsu Kaizen
improvement activities of the workers
Early Equipment Design of new equipment using lesson New equipment achieves full potential
Maintenance learnt from previous TPM activities in a shorter period of time
Employees gain the necessary skills to
Education & Bridging of the skills and knowledge
enable them solve problems within the
Training gap through training of all workers
organization
 TPM Pillars Description Advantages
Providing of an ideal working
Health, Safety & Elimination of harmful conditions &
environment devoid of accidents and
Environment healthy workforce
injuries
Spread of the principles to
Support functions understand the
TPM in the Office administrative functions within an
benefits of these improvements
organization

The Role of OEE in Total Productive Maintenance

OEE is a supportive metric that measures how productive a process is against the
expected productivity of that process and is a strong component of the TPM program
that must be measured at regular intervals.

It is composed of three important metrics that tie in well with the overall objectives of
a TPM program as set-out in the introductory part of this article.

The three components of overall equipment effectiveness metric are:

 Availability- which is a measure of the percentage of time that a piece of

equipment or a process is available for productive work. The goal of this metric
to ensure that there are no break-downs and downtime beyond the already
planned downtime.
 Performance measures how well a process performed against the set targets
and exposes any speed losses that may arise during the running of a production
process
 Quality is a measure of the percentage of good parts that come out of a process
against all the parts produced. It is concerned with the defect-rate and the
ability of a process to produce good quality the first time without the need for
rework

OEE is an important metric as it ties-in well with the objectives of a TPM program
that aims at having zero-defects, zero-breakdowns and zero-stops in the production
process. A more detailed account of the OEE metric can be found in our page on
overall equipment effectiveness.

The tracking of OEE is important because by doing so, one will be able to tell whether
the TPM program is working as intended as well as the effect of any improvement
activities.

Collection of OEE data is therefore an integral part of the TPM program and can be
done either manually or automatically.
Each data collection technique has its advantages but one will notice that an
automated OEE data collection strategy can provide even greater benefits.

For example, for processes with extremely short cycles, it would be better to employ
automatic data collection mechanisms such as computerized metering. This will free
up the operator to do their main task as well improve on the accuracy of the data
collection activity.

Six Big Losses of Production

In addition to the losses described in the OEE metric, production units experience six
common losses which reduce the productivity of an organization.

By addressing these losses, a total productive maintenance program results in

increased productivity through reduction of wasteful conditions within processes.

The following table shows the six big losses, their relation to OEE and typical
examples in a production facility:

Six Big Losses Summary

OEE Loss
Six Big Losses Examples Remarks
Classification
Machine Fan belt breakage, tool Must be clearly defined so as
DTL
Breakdowns failures,motor breakdown not to confuse with small stops
Setup Loss and Product change-over, staff SMED is used for reducing the
DTL
Minor Adjustments shortage, material shortage effects of this loss
Inspection, jams, Very short stops (-5mins) not
Minor Stoppages SL adjustments, blocked requiring technical
sensing devices, intervention
Factors that prevent the design
Poor settings and
Slow Running SL capacity/speed from been
alignment
achieved
Occur before the process starts
Start-up Errors QL scrap and rework
in earnest
Occur during the running of
Product Defects QL scrap and rework
the process

DTL = Downtime Loss, SL = Speed Loss, QL = Quality Loss

TPM Implementation Steps

Having considered the important components of a TPM program, it is now time to
discuss how to implement them in a cohesive manner across all functions of an
organization.

This step by step implementation is important if there are to be any tangible gains to
be had from the program and each step should be implemented sequentially for
maximum effect.

TPM Step one - Piloting

The first step in implementing the program should start with the identification of a
pilot area. The importance of this approach is that the program will gain more
acceptance and momentum when staff realise the benefits that accrue from its
implementation.

Several considerations must be taken into account when choosing the pilot area and
these include:

 Is it easy to get the “low hanging fruit”? Getting quick gains helps in achieving
buy-in from staff who may be reluctant to implement the program because of
fear of the unknown. Choosing a simple machine will be good as a starting
point as any mistake during the learning process will not lead to any significant
damage to the system
 The effect of the improvement on the system will not be as strong as using
critical equipment and you will not be able to use the TPM methodology to the
fullest. Though this may appear as a disadvantage, it is the safest approach
given the critical nature of capital equipment to the organization
 Another approach will be to pilot the TPM project on a bottleneck or highly
critical equipment. While this approach will have a significant effect on the
process if it succeeds, there is the risk that it can cause disruption of the normal
processes if done in the wrong way

Choosing the pilot equipment for the TPM project should therefore be a balance
between the perceived benefits and the cost of failure. It is always better to start with
less critical equipment and then move to the more critical machines as the teams
mature and gain competence in the TPM methodology.

To get more acceptance across the organization, it is best practice to begin the TPM
journey with the widest base of employees. This gives it the necessary momentum to
sustain it into the future as well as to build the right culture that eventually becomes
the DNA of the organization.
TPM Step Two – Restore Equipment Back to Basic
Condition
Machines and equipment are returned to their basic condition through a thorough 5S
program coupled with autonomous maintenance as discussed above. In the 5S project,
both operators and technical staff work together to clean and organize the machines
by taking into consideration the following points:

 Record the current state of the machines by noting any abnormalities such as
dust, exposed wires, oily surfaces and poorly organized work area. It is good
practice to take “before” photos of the work area as it is so as to serve as a
comparison with the state after improvement
 Remove any unwanted material from within the vicinity of the machines and
put them away in a “red tag” area for decisions to be made on their disposal at a
later date
 Use visual shadow boards to store the remaining tools, spares and other parts
so as to provide an organized way of knowing where everything is or should
be. Yellow marking can also be used to mark the position of machines so that it
will be easy to know when they are moved
 Carryout thorough cleaning of machines and surrounding spaces so as to get
rid of dirt and expose any abnormalities that may be hidden from sight.
 Record the new state of the machines using photos and use it for training
purposes as well as for selling the benefits of the program to present and future
staff
 Create one-point-lessons for training purpose as well as checklist so as to
ensure that the new standards are followed by members of staff
 Audit the machines and work area regularly to get a clear picture on whether
the agreed standards are being adhered to by the workers. The audits also help
you get enough feedback on what needs to be changed or improved upon – an
important principle of kaizen continuous improvement methodology

Once the 5S program has been carried-out satisfactorily, the operators and
maintenance staff will then begin an autonomous maintenance project.

There should be an agreement as to the technical tasks that can be safely transferred to
the operators and if there is need for basic training to bring them up to speed, it should
be done before the start of autonomous maintenance.

An autonomous maintenance program will achieve a lot if done correctly and

normally takes the following format:
  Create a machine map with inspection points clearly indicated for ease of
reference
 Make obscure inspection points more visible by using transparent covers
where possible (safety and functionality should be considered)
 Visualize the ideal settings of gauges and meters by marking the machines –
for example, a pressure gauge can be marked green to show the acceptable
reading and red to indicate out-of-spec conditions
 Mark the lubrication points and make the lubricating of machines easier
through adjustments such as extension of oiling nozzles. This will reduce the
downtime associated with such activities as they can now be done with minimal
interruption of the production process
 Put in place standards for reporting of abnormalities by the operators and
encourage a culture of always addressing problems before they get out of
control
 Create autonomous maintenance standards and checklists that will be used
by the operators to check for most important tasks that need to done on
machines such as lubrication and inspection points

TPM Step Three – OEE Tracking

On completion of the preparatory steps of 5S and autonomous maintenance, the next
logical step is to track the Overall Equipment Effectiveness. This data collection is
important so as to identify the biggest causes of downtime on critical machines.

Downtime can be caused by a variety of reasons and it is important for these reasons
to be accurately categorized which will help in pinpointing which are the ones that
need to be urgently addressed.

While it is quite straight-forward to know which are the causes of downtime,

sometimes it will not be easy for operators to immediately or allocate a cause to a
breakdown.

In this case, operators can introduce a new category of “not known” to their causes for
downtime. This is makes it easy for operators to record data that they are not sure
about instead of leaving the data collection form blank.

Data collection must be done over decently long period of time (at least a month) for
it to be meaningful enough to be analysed and for decisions to be made based on the
data.

Accuracy is also an important factor during data collection and all efforts should be
made to ensure that all shifts give real data.
To achieve this, there has to real time review of data with the aim of correcting any
inaccuracies that may arise during its collection.

TPM Step Four – Reduce Major Losses

Using the Kaizen pillar of TPM, major losses are tackled in a systematic process
based on the data already collected in the data-collection step.

Addressing the major losses based on the data involves:

 Selecting a cross-functional team from a wide section of the workforce and

should comprise of all cadres including operators, technical staff as well
supervisors. Another consideration when assembling a cross-functional team is
the level of experience and expertise of the team members.
 Data analysis of the major losses as collected from the OEE data. This analysis
should look at the main reasons for the losses using tools such as pareto
diagrams which rank the causes according to the degree of occurrence
 Root cause analysis of why the losses occurred in the first place. This is done
by asking why five or more times until you get to the true cause of the problem.
It is only after a thorough root cause analysis has been done should
countermeasures be suggested and implemented
 Implementation of suggested solutions within a specified time frame
 Verify effectiveness of the implemented solutions through audits

TPM Step Five – Planned Maintenance

Planned maintenance is a very advanced part of the TPM implementation journey
because it happens only after other components have matured enough to be left on
their own and any benefits accruing from the programs have been exhausted.

At the heart of this TPM step is to understand the machine parts the wear out the most
and reasons for this wearing out. Countermeasures to these causes are then put in
place and this includes the use of parts that do not wear out as quickly as the ones
replaced.

Documentation of the frequency of failure for machine parts must also be carried out
so as to have a clear picture of all the parts that need replacement and how regularly
they need replacement.

With both the data on the frequency of wearing out and that of failure, a schedule for
replacement of these parts is created. This will include the purchasing of the parts in
advance and scheduling the downtime in such a way that it has the least effect on
production processes.

Replacement data should be collected on an on-going basis to fine-tune the part

replacement schedule. This fine-tuning should also take into consideration the parts
that require replacement off-schedule and analysis should be done to find out whether
there are any emerging issues with the equipment that had not been recognized earlier.

Other TPM Actions

The other pillars of TPM will be implemented depending on the situation that the
organization is facing at the moment and do not necessary have to be implemented all
at once.

For example, early equipment management applies to situations where there has been
purchase of new equipment.

Similarly, a quality maintenance project will be more likely to be implemented when

there are major customer issues concerning quality.

It would also be initiated when there are major deviations of the agreed quality
standards within the facility.

In the same vein, the TPM in the office and Safety, Health & Environment programs
will be implemented when there are serious issues concerning them.

If the accidents within the workplace are way above the standards, there will be more
focus on creating safe working conditions.

These additional steps should be taken one at a time depending on priority and
urgency because it not about only implementing a set of programs but it is based more
on necessity.

Conclusion - Sustaining the TPM Initiative

Like any other initiative, sustaining the project is the most difficult part, requiring a
high level of discipline and constant monitoring of the progress of the project.

The most important factor in the success of Total Productive Maintenance is the buy-
in by employees, without whom the initiative will have a false start.
Gaining the full participation of employees is a multi-facetted approach that includes
informing them of the strategic objectives of the organization, motivating the right
behaviours and encouraging idea generation from the shop floor.

Starting with low hanging fruit will give the workers the courage to move together
with the organization on its TPM journey because the results of the program are
visible to all at the onset. Using difficult pilot areas which are bound to fail will
discourage the workforce from participating in a whole-hearted manner.

Top management involvement and interest in the TPM initiative also helps in
sustaining it through the provision of the necessary resources needed for it to succeed.
Management involvement also sends a clear message to the workforce on the
importance the company places on the initiative.

Making the system part of the company culture also involves the being creative and
continuously improving the methodology to instil a sense of freshness. This prevents a
lethargic and complacent attitude from setting in as employees start losing interest due
to boredom.

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