Total Productive Maintenance is a new way of looking at maintenance, or conversely, a reversion to old ways but on a mass scale. In TPM the machine operator performs much, and sometimes all, of the routine maintenance tasks themselves. This auto-maintenance ensures appropriate and effective efforts are expended since the machine is wholly the domain of one person or team.

TPM is a critical adjunct to lean manufacturing. If machine uptime is not predictable and if process capability is not sustained, we cannot produce at the velocity of sales. One way to think of TPM is "deterioration prevention" and "maintenance reduction", not fixing machines. For this reason many people refer to TPM as "Total Productive Manufacturing" or "Total Process Management".

TPM is a proactive approach that essentially aims to prevent any kind of slack before occurrence. Its motto is "zero error, zero work-related accident, and zero loss.

TPM has five goals:

1. Maximize equipment effectiveness.

2. Develop a system of productive maintenance for the life of the equipment,

3. Involve all departments that plan, design, use, or maintain equipment in implementing TPM.

4. Actively involve all employees.

5. Promote TPM through motivational management