Pulp & Paper
How Proactive Asset Care Boosted OEE, Profitability, and Throughput
Key Results at a Glance
Improvements in Efficiency, Profitability, and Reliability Through Strategic Asset Management Including Condition Monitoring, Operator Asset Care, Planning, Scheduling, Execution, MRO and Shutdown Coordination.
- Improved paper machine OEE by 6.7% using FMEA-guided asset care improvements.
- Boosted production and increased maintenance-driven profits by 30% through a complete asset management overhaul.
- Enhanced pulp mill efficiency by 5% using FMEA and PMO-based improvements.
- Adapted asset care programs (RCM, FMEA, PMO, RCA) to meet higher machine speeds, reducing breaks and premature failures.
- Established a reliability function and trained Reliability Engineers in RCM, RCA, and related methodologies.
Increased paper machine OEE by 6.7%
Increased production while increasing Maintenance’s contribution to the bottom line by 30%
Achieved 5% improvement in pulp mill efficiency
At one pulp and paper facility, a thorough review and enhancement of their asset care programs revolutionized the way they operated. By applying methods such as FMEA and RCM, the team increased OEE on the paper machine by 6.7%. Although starting from a low baseline, this improvement signaled a significant shift toward more reliable and efficient production.
Asset care boosted OEE by 6.7% and maintenance contribution by 30%.
Equally impactful were the financial gains. As maintenance strategies evolved—from reactive fixes to preventive, data-driven interventions—the operation increased production while contributing 30% more to the bottom line. This improvement was the direct result of taking a holistic look at asset management, combining cost reductions with optimized throughput.
In the pulp mill, a 5% efficiency boost came directly from reassessing our maintenance practices with RCM, FMEA and PMO, applying best-in-class planning, scheduling and execution practices, establishing an objective focused shutdown process, applying MRO best practices and defining/applying the processes and roles and responsibilities necessary to ensure sustainable results.
All these changes were sustained by building internal expertise from training the Reliability Engineers to training the Planners, Schedulers, Shutdown Coordinator and Maintenance Supervisors. We also worked closely with Stores to establish and train their personnel in MRO best practices and with Production in defining their role in the work control management cycle and in applying autonomous maintenance. Let’s not forget senior management; we helped them define their role in the asset management process, built business processes aligned with the company’s objectives and culture, established effective KPIs and efficient meetings and systemized how they maintain their assets so that new employees can be integrated quickly. This laid the groundwork for a culture of continuous improvement, better decision-making, and long-term sustainability.
