Total Productive Maintenance

If you are asked a question, "What is Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)?", & if you are asked to answer in one or two words, then what shall be your answer?

• Is it a method of maintenance?
• Is it a maintenance technique?
• Is it a set of principles?
• Is it standard norm?
• Is it a theory?
• Are there any hard and fast rules to follow?

No none of these are right ways to answer.

• Then what is TPM?
• TPM is a philosophy.
• Well, TPM is a culture.
• TPM stands on the pillars of belief.
• TPM works out by respecting the promises.

The production manager blames the machines are not good due to which he could not reach the target. The plant engineer blames the purchase department for bringing the spurious spares. The purchaser blames the designer for not specifying correctly. And this goes on.

Now, you might have understood the need for trouble-free and defect-free work- atmosphere where there will be introspection in every person about his work for others and to the organisation rather than blaming somebody. If we can imagine an environment where everybody's motto is to get the targeted production for which the machinery is to be thoroughly maintained for their full length of life right from design to discard, and there are no blaming of one over the other, such a workers' paradise is said to have a culture of TPM. TPM takes into account of the design, manufacture, performance, life, cost, quality of output of the machine and even up to discard.