TQM vs TPM: Difference and Comparison

An ideology of lean manufacturing emphasizes maximizing the productivity of the goods and minimizing the waste produced within a manufacturing company.

Any activity that does not add value to the company for which the customer will pay, is considered waste according to the lean principle. 

Lean manufacturing uses the terms total quality management and total productive maintenance interchangeably. There are many similarities between the two programs, but in reality, they are quite different.

Key Takeaways

1. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a company-wide approach for continuous quality improvement, while Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) focuses on equipment maintenance and efficiency.
2. TQM targets customer satisfaction, employee involvement, and process improvement, while TPM emphasizes equipment reliability and the reduction of production losses.
3. TQM and TPM aim to optimize company performance by minimizing waste and maximizing productivity.

TQM vs TPM

TQM is a management philosophy that emphasizes continuous improvement in all aspects of an organization, with the goal of customer satisfaction. TPM is a maintenance program that aims to maximize the employees’ involvement in the organization’s equipment maintenance process in the organization.

It may seem like TQM is a bit old-fashioned, considering it was popular in the 80s and eventually replaced by lean manufacturing.

It encompasses the basic elements of lean models that we use today, however, if you take a closer look at the basics of this model.

For manufacturers who find lean strategies difficult to implement, TQM could help lower the learning curve.

In TPM, the goal is to maintain and improve production processes and quality of machines along with the equipment that is used for production, and employees while adding value to products. 

High employee satisfaction, high productivity, and high employee morale are some of the major key outcomes of TPM.

Comparison Table

Parameters of comparison	TQM	TPM
Full form	Total quality management	Total productive maintenance
Definition	Process of finding and correcting errors to improve customers experience	Process of maintaining and improving production processes
Goal	To control quality as much as possible	To prevent and predict the quality to improve maintenance affairs
Popularity	The 1980s	The 1960s
Creator	William Deming	Seiichi Nakajima

What is TQM?

The goal of total quality management (TQM) is to identify, reduce, or eliminate errors in production along with managing the supply chain.

All this is done to improve the customer experience and ensure employees are properly trained.

To achieve total quality management, all parties involved in the production and delivery of the final product or service are accountable for its quality and assures the quality of the end product.

By continuously improving internal practices, an organization can improve the quality of its products and services.

The concept of Total Quality Management refers to a structured approach to the management of organizations as a whole.

The continuous improvement of an organization’s internal affairs is the main objective of the process.

In establishing standards as part of the TQM approach, internal priorities can be taken into account as well as current industry standards.

Despite its origins in manufacturing, TQM can be applied to a wide range of industries. An organization can apply these techniques across all departments as well.

All employees will be working towards the company’s goals, improving the overall performance of the organization. Marketing, production, and training are some of the departments involved in the project.

This approach provides a cohesive vision for systemic change by focusing on long-term change rather than short-term goals.

Therefore, TQM is useful across a variety of industries, including, but not limited to product manufacturing.

What is TPM?

Maintaining the uprightness and the quality of an organization’s working capital systems and the level of quality its products provide is what total productive maintenance (TPM) is all about.

This process emphasizes precautionary and proactive maintenance techniques as well as an employee’s involvement in maintaining the quality of their equipment. It aims to achieve optimal production.

Those are-

• Zero breakdowns
• Zero stops
• Zero defects
• Zero mishappenings

Taking advantage of total productive maintenance can boost your overall equipment effectiveness for years to come and so on, as it aims to reduce downtime through increased manufacturing of products.

For this to happen, precautionary maintenance should always be at the top of everyone’s agenda.

It is a TPM program that fights this mindset and replaces it with one that focuses on maximizing the availability of the manufacturing machinery and putting it at the center of operations.

The traditional Japanese concept of total productive maintenance was created by Seiichi Nakajima.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the TPM process was born from his research about total productive maintenance (TPM). 

Main Differences Between TQM and TPM

• TQM is based on quality control whereas TPM is based on improving the maintenance process.
• Using TQM, organizations can systematize management and align departments to improve the quality of their products and reduce defects. Whereas, maintenance personnel is involved in the maintenance of machines as part of TPM efforts to improve efficiency.
• TQM mainly focuses on customer satisfaction whereas TPM mainly focuses on how to satisfy the manufacturer to get high production.
• TQM aims at continuous improvement whereas TPM aims at zero breakdown.
• In TQM, the demand for the presence of employees is voluntary whereas the demand for presence is high in TPM.

Reference

1. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09544780010325822/full/html
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272696301000663