Total Productive Maintenance – Making Reliability Everyone’s Job

When machines stop, everything stops. Frontline workers have to wait. Production stalls. The maintenance team scrambles to patch things up before the next shift starts. Most operations already do preventive maintenance (PM) - scheduled inspections, oil changes, and component checks. But even with solid PM routines, unplanned downtime still creeps in.

Why? Because reliability can’t live in one department. Instead of leaving machine care to maintenance alone, Total Productive Maintenance spreads the responsibility. Everyone who runs the equipment helps keep it up and running.

In this article we’ll go into detail about what Total Productive Maintenance is, and why it is THE system to focus on where we’ll cover the following:

• What Total Productive Maintenance is
• The difference between total productive and total preventive maintenance
• Why reliability isn’t just a maintenance problem
• What TPM looks like on the ground
• How to build a simple TPM implementation plan
• The payoffs TPM delivers in uptime, safety, and ownership

What is Total Productive Maintenance?

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a structured approach to improving equipment reliability and performance by involving everyone in the operation - not just maintenance.

The approach is total in three ways:

1. First, it calls for total participation - every function/department takes part, from operators and maintenance technicians to engineers, line managers, and quality teams.
2. Second, it targets total productivity - addressing all six major equipment losses: downtime, changeover time, minor stops, speed losses, scrap, and rework.
3. Third, it considers the total life cycle of each asset, adapting maintenance activities and improvements to where the equipment is in its life - from installation to replacement.

To achieve this, TPM blends three types of work: preventive maintenance to plan and schedule servicing, autonomous maintenance where operators perform daily care and inspections, and continuous improvement to find and eliminate root causes instead of chasing symptoms.

Together, these elements make TPM less about systems and more about habits - the daily discipline that keeps machines reliable and production steady.

Total Preventive Maintenance vs Total Productive Maintenance

The “TPM”-acronym can be confusing, as it is used to refer to two types of maintenance strategies, which are now used interchangeably. Total Productive Maintenance - and Total Preventive Maintenance. So, is there a difference between them? Well, depending on who you ask, this may well vary.

In most cases, they will most likely be treated as synonymous to each other. At other times, Total Productive Maintenance may be referred to as a more broader strategy, where everyone within a company is involved in performing the maintenance of the equipment being used every day. Where Total Preventive Maintenance is seen as a process within a larger Total Productive Maintenance framework - simply referring and describing the best practices in preventive maintenance.

To keep it simple: this article looks upon the two as synonyms, where there are no differences between them, both being based on “the eight pillar” and the same key components. Please read our article on Total Preventive Maintenance if you want to dig deeper into the Eight Pillar Methodology.

Why Reliability Isn’t Just a Maintenance Problem

When a machine fails, everyone usually looks to maintenance - just as you would look at the defenders when a goal is scored in football. But by the time a piece of equipment has broken down, the damage is done - production has stopped, loads are delayed, and the shift falls behind schedule.

That cycle repeats because maintenance is often treated as a separate function, not part of daily work. Preventive tasks get planned, but operators don’t always have full visibility into how their routines can affect reliability. Total Productive Maintenance flips that on its head, making everyone equally responsible - just like everyone in a football team is equally responsible for both attacking and defending. It connects operations and maintenance around a shared goal: keeping machines available and safe to run.

When operators take on small daily checks - fluid levels, leaks, loose bolts, sensor faults - they catch issues long before they cause downtime. When maintenance gets those findings in real time, they can plan repairs instead of reacting to breakdowns.

What TPM Looks Like in Practice

Total Productive Maintenance should be built into the way a site or plant runs - through small, repeatable routines that keep equipment healthy and people accountable. At a quarry, or a ready-mix plant, it might look like this:

1. Start of shift: Operators inspect their machines before running them - checking oil, filters, belts, tires, and sensors. Anything off gets logged right away.
2. During operation: Minor deviations, like leaks or unusual sounds, are reported immediately instead of waiting for the next PM scheduled inspection.
3. End of shift: Supervisors review new issues and confirm what’s been handled.
4. Maintenance planning: The next day’s work is based on real data, not guesswork or incomplete reports.

The routines stay simple and visible. Most checks can be done in a few minutes, ideally supported by a digital maintenance platform, using a tablet or a phone directly out in the field where the machines are. The value comes from consistency - the same tasks done the same way every day.

That’s how TPM takes hold - not as a system, but as a habit.

TPM Implementation Plan - How to Get Started

Total Productive Maintenance works best when it’s built slowly and deliberately. As mentioned, the aim isn’t to launch a program - it’s to build habits that last through shift changes, season changes, and leadership changes. As such, here is our suggestion for a TPM implementation plan for how to get started, and make it really stick.

1. Start Small

Pick one process or one critical machine - something visible, like the primary crusher, mixer, or conveyor line. Narrowing focus helps prove value and keeps the workload manageable.

2. Build the Team

Include people who actually run and maintain the equipment. Operators, mechanics, and supervisors all need to see the same information and share the same goals.

3. Define Standards

Write simple, clear routines. What should be checked, how often, and what counts as a deviation? Use photos, examples, and plain language. If it feels like paperwork, it won’t last.

4. Train and Launch

Walk through the routines together. Make sure everyone knows why each check matters. Keep sessions short and practical - in the yard, near the machine, not in a meeting room.

5. Track and Review

Collect findings in one place - it should be digital - so nothing gets lost. Review trends weekly. Look for patterns: repeat failures, missed checks, or rising idle time. Discuss fixes, not faults.

6. Scale What Works

Once the pilot area runs smoothly, use it as the model for other assets or plants. The templates, checklists, and routines should scale easily across the operation.

How to Make TPM Stick…

If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: TPM only works if it’s visible and consistent. You can’t build reliability on scattered paper sheets, whiteboards, and text messages. To make TPM stick, you need one place where checks, findings, and follow-ups live - a maintenance platform that fits around the way your workers already work.

That means:

• Operators can log issues right at the machine, with a quick photo or note.
• Maintenance can see what’s coming before it becomes downtime.
• Supervisors can track completion, trends, and problem areas without digging through binders.

When inspections, PMs, and deviations all run through the same platform, TPM stops being another “program” and becomes the way work gets done.