Justification of total productive
maintenance initiatives in Indian
manufacturing industry for
achieving core competitiveness
I.P.S. Ahuja and J.S. Khamba
University College of Engineering, Punjabi University, Patiala, India
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of contributions of total
productive maintenance (TPM) initiatives towards building core competencies in Indian
manufacturing industry. This paper critically examines the implications of TPM implementation
initiatives in Indian manufacturing organizations.
Design/methodology/approach – In this study a large number of manufacturing organizations
have been extensively surveyed to ascertain contributions made by TPM initiatives in the Indian
manufacturing industries towards realizing core competencies. The study involves working out the
correlations between various TPM implementation dimensions and core competencies, and employs
various statistical tools for extracting significant factors contributing effectively towards realization of
core competencies.
Findings – The study reveals that organizational leadership and involvement, traditional
maintenance practices, successful adaptation of effective TPM initiatives can significantly
contribute towards accruing core competencies in the organization. The study highlights that
the holistic TPM initiatives outscore the traditional maintenance practices towards improving
the manufacturing performance (MP). The study establishes that focused TPM implementation
over a reasonable time period can significantly contribute towards realization of core competencies
in MP.
Research limitations/implications – The study has been conducted to ascertain the contributions
of TPM initiatives for achieving core competencies in manufacturing organizations. However,
sector-wise studies can also be conducted to evaluate the contributions of TPM implementation
towards performance enhancement under the specific situations.
Practical implications – The present study identifies the impact of key TPM initiatives dimensions
on organizational performance and highlights the need for aligning organizational efforts in
establishing maintenance improvement initiatives for realizing improvements in performance of
manufacturing organizations.
Originality/value – The paper investigates the status of TPM initiatives in the Indian context and
the preparedness of Indian manufacturing industry to meet the challenges posed by the western world
by employing proactive TPM strategies.
Keywords Productive maintenance, India, Manufacturing industries, Competences,
Competitive advantage
Paper type Research paper
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The authors are extremely grateful to the executives from industries for extending their whole
hearted support to the study and sharing their valuable experiences. The authors thank the
reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions for improving the manuscript.
Justification of
TPM initiatives
645
Received November 2006
Revised July 2007
Accepted September 2007
Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management
Vol. 19 No. 5, 2008
pp. 645-669
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1741-038X
DOI 10.1108/17410380810877302