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If you've ever had to deal with unexpected equipment breakdowns, you know how much of a headache they can be. Downtime leads to delays, increased costs, and a whole lot of stress. That’s where Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) comes in – a proactive approach that helps businesses maximize equipment efficiency while minimizing breakdowns and disruptions.
But here’s the thing: a great TPM strategy is nothing without a solid work order system. Work orders are the glue that holds the entire process together, ensuring that maintenance tasks are assigned, tracked, and completed in a structured way.
In this guide, we’ll break down TPM, the role of work orders, and how you can use them to implement a successful TPM program. Let’s get crackin’!
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a proactive maintenance approach that emphasizes the involvement of all employees in maintaining and improving equipment reliability. It originated in Japan and is widely used in manufacturing and industrial sectors to enhance productivity, reduce downtime, and improve overall efficiency.
TPM is built on eight foundational pillars that work together to create a culture of continuous improvement. Each pillar addresses a specific aspect of equipment maintenance and operational excellence:
1. Autonomous Maintenance – Operators take responsibility for basic maintenance tasks such as cleaning, lubrication, and inspections. This empowers them to detect and prevent minor issues before they become major problems.
2. Planned Maintenance – A proactive approach that involves scheduling maintenance activities based on equipment usage and failure patterns. This helps in minimizing unplanned downtime and extending equipment life.
3. Quality Maintenance – Focuses on identifying and eliminating root causes of defects in equipment and production processes. By maintaining optimal machine conditions, businesses can produce higher-quality products with minimal waste.
4. Focused Improvement (Kaizen) – Encourages teams to work collaboratively on continuous improvement initiatives. This involves analyzing production losses and implementing targeted solutions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
5. Early Equipment Management – Integrates maintenance considerations into the design and procurement of new equipment. By leveraging maintenance insights during the early stages, businesses can reduce future operational issues.
6. Education and Training – Ensures that employees at all levels receive adequate training on TPM principles, equipment operation, and maintenance techniques. This fosters a skilled workforce capable of managing and maintaining equipment effectively.
7. Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) – Prioritizes workplace safety and environmental sustainability by implementing measures to reduce hazards, prevent accidents, and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
8. Administrative & Office TPM – Extends TPM principles beyond the factory floor to office and administrative functions. This aims to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and eliminate waste in non-production activities.
One key aspect of TPM? It thrives on data and structured workflows, which is why work orders play such a crucial role in making it successful.
Before we go any further, let’s talk about work orders. What are they exactly?
A work order is a formal request to perform a maintenance task. It includes details like:
In a TPM strategy, work orders act as a structured way to ensure maintenance tasks get done properly and on time. Instead of relying on memory (or sticky notes), teams have clear instructions and accountability.
(Want a deeper dive into work orders? Check out our detailed blog on Work Orders.)
So, why are work orders essential for a TPM strategy? Because they help translate TPM principles into action. Here’s how:
Without work orders, TPM can quickly become disorganized and ineffective. Structured work orders ensure that maintenance doesn’t just happen – it happens the right way, at the right time.
Now, let’s get practical. Here’s how to implement TPM with the help of work orders:
TPM is all about proactive maintenance. Instead of waiting for things to break down, use work orders to schedule routine inspections and servicing.
✅ Best practice: Set up automated work orders in a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System) to trigger recurring maintenance tasks at regular intervals.
In a TPM program, operators are expected to handle basic maintenance (like cleaning and lubrication), while technicians tackle more complex tasks.
✅ Best practice: Use work orders to assign specific tasks to the right personnel so there’s no confusion.
One of TPM’s goals is to make data-driven decisions. Work orders provide valuable insights into:
✅ Best practice: Log maintenance activities and analyze patterns to spot potential issues before they lead to failures.
A slow response to equipment failures = lost productivity. Work orders help streamline emergency repairs by ensuring quick task allocation and priority setting.
✅ Best practice: Set up automated alerts so maintenance teams are notified instantly when an issue arises.
TPM isn’t a one-and-done strategy – it’s an ongoing process. Work order data helps identify inefficiencies and improve maintenance workflows over time.
✅ Best practice: Regularly review work order data to refine schedules, eliminate bottlenecks, and improve uptime.
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Let’s say a manufacturing company wants to reduce equipment failures on its production line.
Before implementing TPM with work orders:
After implementing TPM with work orders:
The result? Reduced breakdowns, increased uptime, and huge cost savings.
If you want to successfully implement a TPM strategy, you need a structured way to manage maintenance tasks – and that’s where work orders shine.
By using work orders to standardize preventive maintenance, assign responsibilities, track performance, and optimize workflows, you can maximize equipment efficiency and minimize costly downtime.
Ready to take your TPM strategy to the next level with FieldEx CMMS? Reach out for a free demo today to get started!
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