ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the activities and steps necessary to kick off the total productive maintenance (TPM) process. An inherent contradiction exists in mandating an improvement philosophy that is heavily based on employee empowerment. A successful TPM implementation requires top management commitment, but employee input should be actively solicited and evaluated prior to embarking on this journey. A combination of methods should be employed to educate the organization about TPM. The objective of initial TPM education is to establish a general awareness throughout the plant of the process and to build support for its concepts. The concept of an overseer group to develop strategies and methods for improvement may be new to some plants, especially if the group includes both management and plant floor representation. Potential committee members should be selected on the basis of the above characteristics and individually approached by a high level manager, preferably the plant manager.
