1. Origins of TPM

TPM was introduced in the 1970s by Nippon Denso, with the help of JMA (Japan Management Association) in Japan.

This approach focused on improving equipment operation by improving machine reliability and availability, hence its "maintenance" connotation. As the approach spread to Japan and the rest of the industrialized world, success helped to broaden the concept, and today TPM is seen as a high-performance management approach that some refer to as "terotechnology".

The original TPM was publicized by Seïchi Nakajima (director of...