Why Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Doesn’t Always Deliver
And Why Operator Asset Care Still Does
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) has long been presented as a proven route to operational excellence. On paper, it makes perfect sense: engage operators in equipment care, involve every part of the organisation and create a culture where machinery uptime is maximised and waste is minimised.
Yet, despite its appeal, TPM does not always deliver on its promise. Many organisations launch initiatives with enthusiasm, only to see them lose momentum or fail to embed. The reasons are often practical rather than theoretical.
Why TPM Falls Short in Practice
Cultural Resistance
TPM depends on a significant cultural shift. Operators must be willing to step into new responsibilities, managers must provide the right support and leadership must be consistent in their sponsorship. Where there is resistance, scepticism, or a sense that TPM is “just another management fad”, progress stalls.
Leadership Turnover
TPM needs long-term, unwavering commitment. Yet leadership changes are common and new leaders may not prioritise or even understand TPM. When sponsorship wanes, TPM initiatives lose traction.
Budget Pressures
Implementing TPM requires training, resources and systems. Under financial strain, organisations often reduce investment, leaving TPM under-resourced and poorly executed. This breeds frustration and diminishes confidence in the approach.
Competing Priorities
In practice, production deadlines often outweigh maintenance commitments. When the pressure is on to deliver, TPM activities are frequently set aside in favour of “just getting the product out the door”.
Variations Across Sites
In multi-site organisations, each facility has its own processes, histories and ways of working. A uniform, top-down TPM approach rarely translates seamlessly across locations, resulting in fragmentation and inconsistency.
Data Paralysis
While TPM champions measurement, the sheer volume of data can overwhelm teams. Metrics without meaning can paralyse decision-making and erode enthusiasm.
Over-Complexity
The TPM framework can feel overly complicated, with multiple pillars, processes and targets. For frontline teams, this complexity often creates confusion and dilutes focus. Energy is spent on compliance with the framework rather than addressing real operational issues.
Short-Term Thinking
TPM is a long-term investment. However, many organisations expect immediate gains. When benefits don’t materialise quickly, they abandon the initiative prematurely.
Why Operator Asset Care Endures
Amidst these challenges, one component of TPM consistently proves its worth: Operator Asset Care (OAC).
Unlike the broader TPM programme, OAC is straightforward, practical, and resilient. It delivers short-term improvements by giving operators ownership of their equipment’s day-to-day condition; cleaning, inspecting, lubricating and spotting early signs of wear, while also driving lasting improvements to both equipment and processes.
The benefits are clear:
Quick Wins: Unlike broader TPM, OAC shows tangible results quickly, reinforcing its value.
Early Detection of Problems: Operators, closest to the equipment, notice issues before they escalate.
Improved Reliability: Regular care extends asset life and prevents breakdowns.
Operator Engagement: Empowered operators take pride in “their” machines, increasing morale and accountability.
Stronger Collaboration: OAC reduces the traditional divide between production and maintenance teams.
Resilience: Because it is built into operators’ daily routines, OAC withstands leadership changes, shifting priorities and even budget pressures.
A Balanced Perspective
TPM, in its entirety, is ambitious. It requires cultural transformation, consistent leadership, and significant resources – factors that are often difficult to sustain. The risk is that organisations abandon TPM entirely, concluding that it “doesn’t work”.
But within TPM lies a core discipline that does: Operator Asset Care. OAC is simple, scalable and effective. It bridges the gap between theory and practice, delivering measurable benefits while laying the groundwork for future reliability strategies.
Closing Thought
Leaders should not view TPM as an “all or nothing” proposition. By focusing on Operator Asset Care, organisations can capture much of the value of TPM in a practical, sustainable way. In many cases, it is OAC, not the full weight of TPM, that keeps machines running, operators engaged and performance on track.
How MCP Can Help
At MCP, we understand the realities of implementing maintenance and reliability programmes across complex organisations. While Total Productive Maintenance offers strong principles, we have seen first-hand how difficult it can be to embed across different cultures, budgets, and sites.
Our consultants specialise in helping organisations cut through that complexity. We work with clients to focus on what delivers real value — and in many cases, that means building Operator Asset Care into daily routines to create measurable improvements in reliability, cost efficiency, and employee engagement.
If you would like to explore how MCP can support your organisation in strengthening maintenance practices and achieving sustainable results, please do get in touch.
Find Out More About OAC (Operator Asset Care)
