When a brand wants to scale, grow, or otherwise continue developing, it’s often not enough to look for internal solutions. Sometimes, entrepreneurs need external assistance, outside opinions, and real-world examples to improve processes and streamline workflows. This is one of the ultimate goals of total productive maintenance (TPM) consulting.
TPM consulting reviews your existing manufacturing, maintenance, and development cycles and finds ways to remove common bottlenecks, address recurring pain points, and modify your supply chain to invest more resources in autonomous maintenance. Here are some ways to choose the right consulting firms and apply the pillars of TPM to your brand.
Start by sourcing referrals from colleagues and collaborators.
TPM consultants touch on several aspects of your workflow. While TPM provides direct benefits to your suppliers and manufacturing chain, it also aids supervisors, stakeholders, and C-level decision-makers. This is because TPM can directly impact your bottom line and push your brand toward net positive results. So, when you’re looking for a total productive maintenance consultant, it’s important to source one with a solid industry reputation and a proven track record of ongoing success. To do so, you’ll probably want to start by securing a few word-of-mouth referrals.
The best place to start is with the part of your business that’s most likely to reap direct rewards from TPM implementation. Talk to your suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers to see if they have any industry or network connections to TPM associates with available training and consulting programs. Often, word-of-mouth referrals are the best way to find the appropriate service for your brand’s needs. However, sometimes you don’t have the existing industry connections, partnerships, and networking connections to facilitate a working relationship with a consultant. If that’s the case, you’ll need to turn to the internet to find the right firms.
Vet prospective consultants through their online presence.
Sometimes, your requests for referrals go unheard or unanswered. When this happens, you’ll need to do some of the initial research on your own. However, when you take your search for TPM assistance online, you’re going to need some quality vetting protocols since you’ll be dealing with a larger prospective talent pool. The easiest place to start is with any agency’s online review portfolio. While it’s always good to start with a company’s on-site testimonials, these may not paint the most accurate picture of client satisfaction and online reputation.
Instead, turn to third-party review aggregators. These include Google Business reviews, Yelp reviews, and even Glassdoor reviews if you’re interested in a partner company’s overall employee satisfaction. These can give you insights into any shortcomings a total productive maintenance consultant might possess and any recurring client complaints. While you shouldn’t make a business decision off online reviews alone, it can help narrow down the field.
You can also take the opportunity to test a brand’s online responsiveness at this stage. When you request a TPM quote or inquire about an agency’s consulting fee, you’ll ideally receive a response within one business day. Any shorter turnaround can indicate rushed quality for projects, and any longer means the brand is either at capacity or is less responsive than it should be.
Be patient when you’re looking for total productive maintenance aid.
Often, it’ll take you a bit of time to find the ideal consultant for your brand’s total productive maintenance needs. TPM is a fairly in-demand service that often requires updated training, modern protocols, and smart technology. As such, it’s important to take the time to find a consultant that can truly empower your brand. With the right business partnerships, you’ll be ready to implement the pillars of TPM and continue your path to brand growth and development.
