Total Product Maintenance in Lean Manufacturing

Abstract

Changing production management paradigms and the transformation to Lean Manufacturing techniques led to more emphasis on programs like just in time (JIT), total quality management (TQM), engineering economics in equipment design and operation. To meet the goals of the present ambitious industries an innovative Japanese concept known as Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is ushered. Total productive maintenance marks a breakthrough in the maintenance technology empowering the companies with perfect maintenance of the equipment that obviates abrupt machine breakdowns and quality defects. The paper presents a substantial impact of Total Product Maintenance on the production system in the context of Lean principles which allocate top priority to continuous improved productivity, efficiency and quality. The success of this professional management strategy hinges on, an industrial environment which is ready to take novel challenges and changes for the optimum utilization of machinery. This paper aims to define TPM in detail, evaluate its potential as a maintenance science and its effective implementation resulting in reliable and consistent production equipment. Definite stress is given to the interrelated concepts of TPM and Lean manufacturing and the common targets of cost reduction, enhanced quality, flexibility and durability, time factors and employee participation, equipment performance are well tackled. Thus a creative phase of planning and preventing recurring expenses on machines are minimized leading to uninterrupted operation of equipment.