Purpose: – World-class total productive maintenance (TPM) status depends on critical success factors (CSF) to be properly implemented. The relevant literature has identified several CSF; however, researchers have not investigated the degree of importance of each phase of the process. The purpose of this paper is to prioritize the CSFs that influence TPM implementation during each phase of the process in order to aid decision making in companies. Design/methodology/approach: – The main CSF are identified from a literature review. This paper focusses on the judgments of managers who are experts in TPM implementation in companies which have received TPM awards for excellence. The judgments are processed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Three aggregation methods (geometric mean, Copeland and fuzzy) are employed for comparative analysis. Findings: – Although the literature highlights some important CSF, the relevance of these factors is not the same in each phase of TPM implementation. Analysis shows that ranking using the Copeland method is most coherent. Research limitations/implications: – This research was carried out in some Brazilian companies. Practical implications: – If managers are aware of the CSF to be prioritized in each phase, this facilitates decision making, resulting in a more effective implementation of TPM. Social implications: – If TPM implementation is effective, this stimulates the personnel involved and avoids the possibility of the program being abandoned. Originality/value: – The originality of this paper consists in the proposed model to prioritize CSF during each phase of the implementation of TPM.

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