Abstract
In Japan, the implementation of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is regarded as building up a continuous improvement culture and system to achieve zero breakdowns, zero accident, zero defects and zero waste by involving all functions and all workforces. This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis on the contribution of TPM practices to the quality performance of Japanese manufacturing plants. This study uses the survey data collected from 35 manufacturing plants during 2003-2004 in Japan. Correlation and regression analysis are used to analyze the relationship between the variables. Results of the analysis demonstrate that TPM practices are intensively used to achieve high product quality in Japanese plants. Autonomous maintenance is significantly determined as key predictors for quality performance. In addition, we found that the implementation of maintenance activities is highly related to organizational supports in terms of cross-functional training for employees and shop-floor information feedback.
