Total Productive Maintenance or TPM is a process designed to maximize the effectiveness of the company’s equipment through its entire life-cycle. It requires the commitment and discipline of the entire organization to be successful. Success is: zero accidents, zero unplanned failures, and zero product defects.

Tom Harada, who spent 35 years with Toyota in various leadership positions, summarized the importance of TPM in an interview with Art Smalley (Art of Lean Website); “Equipment maintenance is one of the hidden strengths of Toyota but it does not get a lot of attention. However, try to run a pull system or achieve standardized work if the machine is breaking down and kicking out bad parts all day long…you won’t get very far.”

Implementation of TPM is built around a cross-functional team consisting of resources from production, maintenance, and engineering. This team works together to understand the products, processes, and equipment and ensure the equipment is kept in good running order.