Explicit incorporation of breakage in DEM simulations has created a variety of applications in industry, that include those in which breakage is desired, such as in crushing and grinding, to those in which it is not, such as in degradation during transportation and handling. Different approaches have been proposed over the years to incorporate breakage in DEM. One that has attracted great attention owing to its computational efficiency is the particle (or fragment) replacement model (PRM), in which particles are instantaneously replaced by a suite of fragments every time a breakage criterion is met. Among the different PRMs, one that became popular in recent years is the Tavares Breakage Model (TBM), which has been implemented in the leading commercial DEM software, namely Rocky DEM and Altair EDEM, besides DEMSLab (Zhejiang University). This model captures several relevant aspects of particle breakage, and its parameters may be calibrated from breakage tests with individual particles. The work analyzes critically the TBM, reviewing recent advances in its implementation, current limitations and opportunities for development in the future. It then revises its track record in the published literature of applications in industry and academia since it was implemented in Rocky and EDEM five years ago. These include mining, steelmaking, but also agriculture and organic materials. Selected case studies of application of the model in industry are then presented, which include one dealing with prevention of degradation during handling of steelmaking materials and another dealing with crushing of iron ore.