Total productive maintenance or TPM is a very important part of lean manufacturing. This program is basically used by manufacturing or processing firms where the entire work is dependent on the high usage of various machinery and equipment. TPM program not only enhances the efficiency of manufacturing facilities, but it also minimizes the errors along with wastage of time, money and energy.
Considering this, every other manufacturing company are implementing TPM strategies for their overall benefit and development. However, using TPM and its strategies effectively isn’t a cakewalk. It requires special efforts and willingness to change in employees as well as the leaders of the company.
Factors that Lead to Success of TPM Program:
The success of TPM strategy depends upon various factors. A company should control these factors in order to get the desired benefits of TPM program. If you also want to implement TPM strategies successfully in your company, then you should know about these factors. After getting their knowledge, you can identify the best ways to govern them. Let’s look at these factors.
- The Awareness and Willingness of the Employees:
Willingness is the pre-requisite for any change. For implementing TPM strategies, the entire staff must have the readiness for embracing the changes whole-heartedly. Remember that; TPM is a team effort so; each member of the whole team should be willing to accept their shortcomings and substitute them with better TPM practices.
This can happen only when your employees can understand the importance of TPM. Being a leader, you should organize some sessions just for enhancing the awareness of team members about this program. Employees will remain resistant to accept TPM until they will know its benefits for their growth and the development of the company. So, their awareness and willingness are essential for the success of the TPM program.
- The Commitment of the Organisation:
Commitment is very important for achieving any benefits. The company can’t elicit the results without the proper commitment of the team members for TPM processes. You should first convince senior employees to commit to this cause. The junior employees would surely invest time and energy into TPM; once they get accurate motivation from their idol seniors.
Your team should understand that there is a scope of improvement even if they are deriving desirable results. They can improve with the help of TPM only. On the other hand, companies that aren’t having very good results should also commit and show their trust towards TPM. Without believing in TPM methods, one can’t get the benefits like zero defects, accidents and breakdowns. So, trust and commitment of employees for TPM strategies also helps in the success of this program.
- Proper Training:
Employees’ willingness or commitment alone can’t help in improving the systems. They also require proper training for handling machines effectively, identifying the technical troubles in the equipment before its final breakdown and fixing those issues efficiently. Right training is required for achieving autonomous maintenance.
Some companies don’t hire highly professional TPM personnel in order to save their money. This practice leads to TPM failure because such cheap sources won’t be able to provide accurate TPM training to your employees. On the contrary, your employees would be able to manage machinery, perform regular checks and report problems in a timely manner if they get the best TPM training. The entire process will become smooth; once your employees will get adequate guidance in implementing TPM strategies.
- Management of the Workplace:
A hygienic and de-cluttered workplace is the basic necessity for implementing TPM strategies effectively. TPM focuses on locating the right materials and keeping a regular check on the machinery. The unhygienic atmosphere not only affects the health of employees but also the equipment of the company. And equipment management is one of the main pillars of TPM.
Now the question is that how can you manage the hygiene of your workspace? You can adopt the 5S workplace management technique for the success of the TPM program. This special framework will help you in utilizing every material properly; which in turn will reduce the wastage of materials. TPM strategies are bound to fail in an unhealthy or hazardous working atmosphere.
- Strategize for Continuous Improvement:
You can’t expect of achieving the best results with one-time TPM efforts. TPM is a long process which requires continuous efforts, regular problem detection and improving the processes of working continuously. You can improve your company’s processes and products continuously only if you will regularly review the work of your employees.
You have to check whether your employees are completing the give goals as per TPM program or not. Where they are lacking and what are the problems they are facing while implementing the strategies. You have to discuss these problems with your TPM consultant to find the solutions. This process of finding problems and solving them will keep going on continuously for the constant yet steady improvement.
- Setting the Right Goals:
Being a leader, you should understand the TPM process first and should set achievable goals for the team that is aligned with the TPM program. Setting goals is necessary to see the results. It will also help your employees in knowing your expectations from them.
Identify key performance areas of your employees, keep a regular check on them to see if TPM strategies are working properly or not and reward the employees that are achieving the given goals. To make manufacturing full functional and safe, provide accurate guidelines to the employees and schedules for preventive maintenance. Your TPM strategy will never fail; when you will set these goals.
- An Experienced TPM Consultant:
Finding the right consultant is very important for the success of your TPM program. Consultants who don’t have vast experience in this field would end up ruining your processes instead of improving them.
So, hire a consultant that has proven record of implementing TPM successfully because you are going to rely totally on him for knowing and using the TPM processes.
