Vision to Value

From Overextended to Optimized

How a Large Specialty Chemical Manufacturer Reduced PM Hours by 45% and Reclaimed Maintenance Capacity

Specialty Chemicals PM Optimization

45%

Reduction in PM hours

9,700

PMs reviewed and rationalized

2-person

Marshall Institute team on-site

Repeatable PMO methodology established

TPR360 Pillar

Physical Assets — Equipment

The Challenge

The Problem

This facility was unable to execute its preventive maintenance program effectively due to the volume and quality of PM work in the system. With approximately 9,700 PMs in SAP, the maintenance organization was overextended and unable to maintain compliance with facility standards.

The volume of PMs prevented effective planning and scheduling of corrective work. Resources were consumed by preventive tasks — many providing limited value — leaving little capacity to address emerging issues.

PM tasks lacked clarity and consistency. Descriptions were often vague, with no defined steps, tools, or acceptance criteria. Execution depended heavily on individual interpretation, introducing variability and reducing repeatability.

Further inefficiencies existed due to duplication of tasks and incorrect intervals. Similar work was performed multiple times or at frequencies misaligned with equipment needs. OEM recommendations and failure history were available but had not been consistently applied.

The result: a maintenance program consuming significant effort without delivering the level of reliability and control the operation required.

The Approach

The Solution

Marshall Institute implemented a structured Preventive Maintenance Optimization effort to reduce workload, eliminate low-value work, and restore control to the PM program.

The initial phase targeted instrumentation PMs within the critical Poly Unit. A detailed review of each PM task was conducted with input from Reliability Engineers and SMEs — evaluating failure modes, task steps, required resources, safety considerations, and appropriate intervals.

On-site consultants guided the process, provided training, and aligned stakeholders on a consistent approach. The objective: establish a repeatable method for defining effective preventive maintenance.

Each task was analyzed to remove ambiguity. Vague instructions like “shop and rebuild or replace if needed” were replaced with clearly defined procedures specifying inspection methods, required actions, and decision criteria.

Following the initial optimization work, a PM Blitz scaled the effort across a larger portion of the PM program — rapidly eliminating low-value work, consolidating duplicate tasks, and correcting PM frequencies. A 2-person Marshall Institute team provided on-site facilitation, PMO training, and coaching throughout.

“The maintenance organization moved from a reactive, overextended program to a structured, capacity-driven approach — with a repeatable methodology that the team now owns.”

— Marshall Institute Engagement Summary