Total productive maintenance experience: a case study

To be competitive in the liberalised economy, organisations must be supported by both effective and efficient maintenance. Manufacturing systems, in particular, often operate at less than full capacity, productivity is low and the costs of producing products are high. The experience has indicated that a large percentage of the total cost of doing business is due to maintenance-related activities in the organisation. One approach to improving performance of maintenance activities is to implement and develop a Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). TPM methods and techniques have been successfully implemented in Japan over the past three decades, and more recently in India. Inherent within the TPM concept are the aspects of enhancing the overall equipment effectiveness. This paper shares some of the experiences of TPM implementation in Mayur Uniquoters, India and achievements made while adopting and implementing TPM. It also identifies some of the difficulties faced during implementation, relates with the concept of TPM and proposes some solutions to eliminate them.