The globalization of economy has thrown a great challenge
to the Indian industries in respect of productivity, quality,
cost, delivery, etc. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
is an excellent and an innovative approach to maintenance
system which optimizes the equipment effectiveness, eliminates
breakdowns and promotes autonomous operator maintenance
through day-to-day activities, which involve the total workforce.
TPM helps to maintain and improve the integrity of production
system through machines, equipments, processes and employees
that add value. The objectives of TPM are to ensure zero
accidents, zero defects and zero failures. This paper presents
the experience of TPM in a manufacturing industry. The presentation
covers the steps and methodology to implement TPM. The case
study result shows that the implementation of TPM reduces
the breakdown time and thus increases the overall equipment
effectiveness and thereby achieves the higher productivity.
Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total Productive Maintenance
(TPM) systems are considered key operational activities
of the quality management system. TQM and TPM are complementary
to each other and thus implementing them simultaneously
will help in achieving synergy and act as two drives to
improve the business performance excellence in the context
of manufacturing industry. According to Peter Wilmot, TPM
is a system of maintaining and improving the integrity of
production systems, through the machines, equipments, processes
and employees that add value [1].
Adding an additional best practice in operations management,
such as TPM approach, is most useful for nurturing the development
of extra capabilities [2]. TPM is a program for the fundamental
improvement of the maintenance functions in an organization
which involves its entire human resources. In Japan, in
the 1970s, Nakajima applied the principles of team work
and empowerment in the form of autonomous maintenance to
the productive maintenance techniques, and in so doing,
developed the principles of TPM [3]. TPM is basically a
productive maintenance system. As per Nakajima (1988), TPM when implemented fully, dramatically
improves productivity and quality, and reduces the costs.
TPM is productive maintenance carried out by all employees
through well-planned small-group activities [4]. Thus, it
is an innovative approach to maintenance systems which optimizes
the overall equipment effectiveness, eliminates breakdowns
and promotes the autonomous maintenance through day-to-day
activities involving the total workforce.
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