Driving Operational Excellence: Maximizing Productivity, Reliability, and Asset Utilization in a Multi-Site Chemical Operation

Client Context

• A leading global multi-site chemical company faced significant pressure to increase operational capacity without capital investment while improving productivity and EBITDA.

Key Challenges

• New leadership identified a critical need for operational efficiency and reliability improvements to enhance plant performance.
• The organization required speed and agility to accelerate change and achieve rapid results.
• A key priority was ensuring sustainable improvements by engaging the entire workforce in transformation efforts.

Approach & Key Success Factors

ARGO-EFESO deployed its Best Run Chemical Operations Playbook, benchmarking the client against industry best practices to develop a tailored roadmap and implementation strategy. The approach focused on:

• Introducing new operating models and best practices to optimize processes, systems, and build a culture of continuous improvement.
• Utilizing the Operational Excellence Framework to prioritize and execute initiatives with measurable impact.

Major Initiatives Implemented

1. Performance Management System – Established clear KPIs, cadence, and visual management tools to drive ownership, accountability, and operational improvements.
2. Reliability Effectiveness Program – Identified and mitigated recurring equipment failures, developed preventive maintenance strategies, and fostered a proactive, predictive reliability culture.
3. Maintenance Productivity Program – Enhanced planning, scheduling, and work order quality to improve first-time fix rates, reduce rework, and maximize tool time.
4. Asset Utilization Enhancement – Implemented strategies to minimize production losses and optimize overall asset performance.
5. Operational Discipline & Operator Care Model – Defined clear roles and responsibilities while empowering operators to identify and eliminate defects at the source.
6. Leadership & Workforce Development – Provided targeted training and coaching to equip leaders and employees with the skills to sustain improvements and drive ongoing change.
7. Continuous Improvement Program – Established a structured framework for engaging the entire site in performance improvement initiatives.

Results

By integrating best practices and fostering a culture of accountability, the client achieved significant operational improvements, enhanced reliability, and a sustainable performance-driven environment.

$46.9 MILLION

Annual pretax earnings improvements

From 79% to 94%

Overall Asset Utilization

17%

Maintenance Productivity Improvement

From 42% to 65%

Proactive Maintenance Percentage

From 40% to 6%

Decrease in P1’s (Emergency Work Orders)