Understanding and Implementing Total Productive Maintenance

The development of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) means little without a master plan for implementation and strategic use. Building a master plan is essential in planning resources, securing management buy-in, and establishing aggressive, yet reachable goals for the manufacturing organization. The ultimate goal of TPM is to first establish stability in your manufacturing operation and then to increase plant capacity without capital investment. If TPM is understood and implemented properly, it can increase quality, reduce costs and decrease lead times for any manufacturing operation. Author: Charles J. Robinson, Total Systems Development, Inc., Shorewood, MN.