Improving Process Control and Asset Reliability

Business succeeds by controlling processes that add value. Managing those processes well is fundamental to the long-term survival and competitiveness of any business.

Without strong process control, preventive measures such as inspections, servicing, and best-practice routines are inconsistent or ineffective. This leads to:

• Increased breakdowns and unplanned downtime.

• Higher maintenance costs due to emergency repairs and rushed parts procurement.

• More time spent firefighting rather than improving asset performance.

Analysis of hundreds of line running years shows that human error accounts for around 50% of downtime, while weak inspection standards contribute another 25%. These issues can often be eliminated at little or no cost as illustrated in the case study examples below.

Case Study: Speciality Chemicals

Status: Most of what they need to deliver stable performance was in place but their approach to process control locked them into reactive maintenance. In addition, they had barriers to progress because performance analysis did not feedback the impact on performance of asset condition.

Actions: Improve asset condition and track OEE improvement due to that. Use results to enhance Leader standard work.

Outcome: Enhancing Leader Standard Work led improved capture of lessons learned, understanding of asset mechanisms and coordination of actions to eliminate the causes of recurring problems.

Case Study: Food processing

Status. Gaps identified in Process Control and Standardisation of work routines were compounded by barriers to progress due to weaknesses in Skill development and Performance analysis.

Actions: Introduce breakdown analysis in a pilot area together with Performance analysis to track progress, provide feedback and build ownership to the need for change. Use this to improve skill development and standardisation/compliance to best practice.

Outcome: Aligned improvement priorities and mobilisation of a cross functional roadmap to scale up lessons learned across the organisation.

The TPM Excellence programme provides a practical method to deliver these outcomes using cross-functional, front-line improvement teamwork embedded in the daily operation to:

• Identify and Address Sources of Accelerated Wear: to prioritise refurbishment needs and deal with sources of accelerated wear.

• Set Inspection Standards: to define appearance, wear and dimensional precision requirements that ensure stable operating conditions.

• Predict and Prevent Failures: to identify critical components and track deterioration patterns to stabilise and extend component life.

Start with Simple Diagnostics

Begin with a focused assessment of your current processes to identify:

• What’s working well—and where improvement will deliver the greatest returns.

• The cause-and-effect links between People, Processes and Procedures to uncover improvement opportunities that reduce Total Manufacturing Costs.

• Alignment between operational performance and business priorities, assessing readiness for higher levels of operational excellence.

• A capability roadmap that supports your broader strategic goals.

A Fast, Insightful Starting Point

If Process Control improvements are your priority, complete our quick, confidential online Lean Maintenance diagnostic here (just 5 minutes, no preparation needed) and receive a tailored benchmarking report that will:

• Pinpoint your current improvement maturity.

• Identify your most critical performance barriers.

• Provide a prioritised roadmap to accelerate results.

This diagnostic acts as the foundation for developing a bespoke improvement roadmap aligned to your organisation’s specific challenges, culture, and strategic priorities—integrating both performance and change management levers.

Creating Your Improvement Roadmap

The diagnostic review will help your organisation to understand its current position against the TPM Excellence benchmarks set out below and accelerate your progress through the remaining steps to deliver lasting improvement and industry leading performance.

1. Sustain Basic Conditions

   • Define inspection standards and make normal conditions visible at a glance.

   • Exit criteria: Standards for preventive maintenance, inspection, and servicing.

2. Standardise Best Practice

   • Reduce recurring problems and achieve standard speed.

   • Exit Criteria: Reduction in recurring problems, Achieving standard speed.

3. Improve Process Control

   • Transfer routine asset care to users and progressively eliminate minor quality defects.

   • Exit criteria: Evidence of task transfer and quality improvements.

4. Apply Low-Cost Automation

   • Focus on 'no-touch' production.

   • Exit criteria: Increased standard speed with reduced human intervention.

5. Major Capital Investment

   • When needed, step up performance to meet customer-driven targets.

   • Exit criteria: Step out performance to set the customer agenda.

In Summary

Lean Maintenance as part of the TPM Excellence programme is a practical, proven method to deliver stable operations, greater process control, and improved asset reliability by engaging your front-line teams as part of their daily work.

This shift requires the systematic improvement of Process Control underpinned by capabilities in:

• Policy deployment,

• Cross-functional improvement collaboration,

• Performance analysis and insight generation.

You don't need to do it alone. Contact us to explore how we can support your TPM Excellence journey, unlocking hidden potential quickly, sustainably, and strategically.