Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a holistic approach to equipment maintenance that aims to achieve perfect production by maximizing equipment effectiveness through the active involvement of all supporting departments. TPM started as a method of physical asset management, focused on maintaining and improving manufacturing machinery to reduce operating costs to an organization. TPM addresses the entire production system lifecycle and builds a solid, plant-floor based system to prevent accidents, defects, and breakdowns. The traditional approach to TPM was developed in the 1960s and consists of 5S as a foundation and eight supporting activities (sometimes referred to as pillars). The eight pillars of TPM are:

1. Autonomous Maintenance: Operators are responsible for the routine maintenance of their equipment.
2. Planned Maintenance: Maintenance activities are scheduled based on equipment usage and condition.
3. Quality Maintenance: Equipment is designed to prevent defects and quality issues.
4. Training and Education: Employees are trained to operate and maintain equipment effectively.
5. Early Equipment Management: Practical knowledge and understanding of manufacturing equipment gained through TPM are used to improve the design of new equipment.
6. Office TPM: TPM principles are applied to office and administrative processes.
7. Safety, Health, and Environment: TPM seeks to eliminate accidents, spills, and other environmental issues.
8. TPM in Administration: TPM principles are applied to non-manufacturing areas of the organization.

The goal of TPM is to increase the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of plant equipment by addressing the causes of accelerated deterioration and production losses while creating the correct environment between operators and equipment to create ownership. TPM seeks to eliminate five major losses that can result from faulty equipment or operation, including unexpected breakdown losses, setup and adjustment losses, idling and minor stoppages, reduced speed, and defects and rework. The implementation of a TPM program creates a shared responsibility for equipment that encourages greater involvement by plant floor workers, which can be very effective in improving productivity.