Maintenance departments in organizations operate under constant pressure to reduce downtime, improve equipment reliability, and at the same time lower operational costs. The Lean concept, originating from the Toyota Production System (TPS), finds a natural application in this context. It focuses on the systematic elimination of the eight types of waste (known as muda) and the continuous improvement of processes, leading to higher operational efficiency.
In a maintenance environment, Lean translates into, among others, reducing waiting times for repairs, eliminating excess spare parts inventory, and removing unnecessary administrative activities. This approach fosters continuous improvement and ensures that every step in the maintenance process contributes to value creation.
In this article, we discuss how Lean Maintenance practices can be implemented at the operational level with the support of a CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System), using the example of the Profesal Maintenance solution – without the need for radical reorganization of the maintenance department.
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Lean Maintenance and TPM – Minimizing Losses in Maintenance Operations
In the Lean Maintenance approach, a key concept is value from the customer’s perspective. Value is defined exclusively as activities that directly contribute to the creation of a product or service and for which the customer is willing to pay. All other activities are considered waste and should be reduced or eliminated.
The primary objective of the Lean philosophy is to minimize costs and losses associated with maintenance while maintaining high technical availability of machinery and production performance. In practice, this means identifying and eliminating bottlenecks, unplanned downtime, excessive spare parts inventory, unnecessary movements, and decision-making delays.
~ Ehawati DJ Djaafar, 2025, Improving Ripple Mill Effectiveness in the Palm Oil Industry through an Integrated OEE–RCA–TPM Approach
It is worth noting that Lean Maintenance is closely linked to the philosophy of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and is often considered its ideological foundation.
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is an approach to maintenance that focuses on maximizing equipment productivity through the involvement of all employees – from operators and maintenance teams to management. The core idea of TPM is to maintain machines in optimal condition, eliminate failures and losses, and continuously improve processes, ultimately leading to higher overall plant efficiency.
~ Dominik Lubera, CMMS Product Manager at Profesal. He is responsible not only for the development of the Profesal Maintenance CMMS system, based on user experience, but also for supporting clients in tailoring the software to their specific needs. Outside of work, he is passionate about Lean culture, Industry 4.0, and design thinking techniques.
Lean provides an overarching orientation toward waste reduction and optimal resource utilization, while TPM offers a structured methodology for engaging the entire organization in preventive and continuous improvement activities. TPM is built on pillars such as autonomous maintenance (active operator involvement in equipment care), planned maintenance, continuous improvement (kaizen), training, and awareness-building – all aimed at preventing failures and defects before they occur. The integration of Lean principles with a TPM program results in a cohesive system where a culture of waste elimination is combined with a systematic approach to equipment reliability.
Learn more about Total Productive Maintenance in the article “Discover Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) – A Path to Safe and Efficient Maintenance Operations” available on the Biznes i Produkcja portal → click the link.
“Lean Maintenance effectively streamlines maintenance processes and reduces operational waste, while TPM builds deep employee engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and cultural transformation – leading to sustained improvements in reliability.”
In other words, Lean emphasizes process optimization, whereas TPM ensures full employee involvement and provides the tools needed to sustain these improvements on a daily basis. Both approaches complement each other, supporting the overarching goal of maximizing OEE and eliminating losses.
~ Md Rezaul Karim, 2025, Review of Applied Science and Technology
Supporting Lean with a CMMS System
Implementing the Lean philosophy in maintenance does not have to involve a costly organizational overhaul. Research indicates that many Lean Maintenance initiatives can be carried out through relatively simple, incremental steps. Over 60% of the analyzed studies suggest that Lean Maintenance is relatively easy to implement with limited resources, making it an attractive approach even for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The key factor is the support of appropriate tools. A CMMS system serves precisely this role – a digital platform for maintenance management that enables the bottom-up implementation of Lean principles within everyday processes, without the need for immediate, large-scale organizational restructuring.
A well-implemented CMMS system acts as the informational backbone of the maintenance department, ensuring data transparency, automation of routine tasks, and real-time access to information. These capabilities align perfectly with Lean philosophy, providing tools to reduce waste across multiple dimensions.
For example, instead of relying on paper-based work orders and reactive firefighting, maintenance teams can use preventive maintenance schedules managed within the CMMS – minimizing unplanned downtime and reducing waste associated with equipment failures. The system also tracks response times, failure history, and completed activities, enabling root cause analysis (RCA) and preventing recurring issues – effectively supporting the digital execution of kaizen (continuous improvement).
Moreover, a CMMS facilitates the standardization of maintenance processes (e.g., through checklists and step-by-step procedures accessible to technicians on mobile devices), reducing variability and human error in task execution – thereby limiting waste in the form of maintenance-related quality defects.
- Kaizen Idea Submission – the system enables employees to easily submit improvement ideas and report observed issues.
- Inventory Optimization – the CMMS monitors spare parts and consumables inventory, automatically signaling replenishment needs or identifying excess stock.
- Equipment Prioritization – not all assets are equally critical to production continuity. A CMMS allows for classifying equipment based on criticality (e.g., A, B, C) and prioritizing preventive maintenance and failure response for key assets.
- Work Order Kanban Board – Lean emphasizes workflow visualization and smooth task flow. The built-in electronic Kanban board in the CMMS provides real-time visibility into all maintenance activities – what needs to be done, what is in progress, and what has been completed.
- Skills Matrix Visualization – people are a key element of maintenance, and Lean emphasizes the effective use of employee capabilities. A CMMS may include a skills matrix module that maps the competencies and certifications of each technician.
The examples above demonstrate that small changes and digital tools can effectively support Lean Maintenance. A CMMS system acts here as an enabler – it facilitates data collection and the consistent execution of Lean practices in everyday operations. As a result, the concept of lean, efficient maintenance becomes a reality: problems are made visible and addressed in real time, while processes are continuously improved.
Importantly, this transformation can be implemented gradually – organizations do not need to undergo a full Lean transformation to experience tangible benefits. By implementing a CMMS system enriched with Lean elements, companies can achieve measurable improvements in maintenance operations and enhance communication with other departments (such as production, logistics, and quality).
Moreover, integrating CMMS with other systems (ERP, MES, SCADA) and leveraging data from IoT sensors further amplifies these benefits. For example, it enables condition-based and predictive maintenance, representing the next level of operational excellence.
The Benefits of Lean and TPM in Numbers – OEE and Beyond
To fully illustrate the potential of Lean Maintenance supported by TPM and CMMS systems, it is worth examining data from scientific research.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) – a key indicator of machine utilization efficiency – is often used as a measure of success for Lean and TPM initiatives in maintenance.
~ Dominik Lubera, CMMS Product Manager at Profesal
In its classical definition, OEE integrates three components: availability, performance, and quality – capturing in a single metric the extent to which a machine utilizes its full production potential. A world – class OEE score is approximately 85%; however, many companies fall significantly short of this benchmark, indicating substantial room for improvement.
A relevant example is a 2025 case study from the palm oil industry. The average OEE for a critical machine (a palm kernel crushing mill) was only around 40%, well below the global benchmark of 85%. The primary factors reducing OEE were performance losses (e.g., operating at suboptimal speeds) and quality losses (a high defect rate), while machine availability remained at a relatively high level.
In other words, even when the equipment was technically operational and available, production performance suffered due to underutilized capacity and quality issues. Root cause analysis revealed problems such as excessive component wear, inconsistent machine settings, insufficient preventive maintenance, and gaps in operator competencies.
According to 2025 data, manufacturers in the automotive sector recorded double-digit improvements in OEE after implementing predictive maintenance solutions within a Lean – TPM environment. In other words, production line OEE increased by several percentage points as a result of integrating real-time equipment condition monitoring, cross-functional teamwork, and a continuous improvement mindset.
In process industries such as chemical and energy sectors, a reduction of over 25% in the maintenance cost-to-sales ratio was observed following the implementation of integrated TPM programs supported by equipment condition data analysis. At the same time, the lifecycle of critical assets was extended, indicating more efficient and cost-effective maintenance practices – where preventive measures allowed repairs to be deferred. It is important to emphasize that these benefits are not limited to large enterprises – Lean Maintenance is inherently scalable.
Summary
Effective maintenance today is more than just reacting to failures – it is about proactive management of production assets with a focus on continuous improvement. Lean provides the philosophy of waste elimination and value maximization, while CMMS systems enable the practical implementation of this philosophy at the operational level. Small, Lean-driven steps supported by the capabilities of a CMMS can lead to significant improvements in maintenance performance.
In an era of increasing competitiveness and advanced industrial technologies, combining a Lean culture with tools such as CMMS has become a proven approach to making maintenance more efficient, predictable, and valuable to the organization – without the need for radical transformation, but through consistent, incremental improvements that collectively drive substantial success.
