At a Glance
- European energy and industrial solutions provider, needed to standardise its work management processes across a key refinery facility to improve maintenance efficiency and contractor performance.
- Issues included gaps in process design, compliance, knowledge, training, and embedding of existing procedures.
- This case study explores how Renoir partnered with the client to achieve an average reduction in backlog by 79% by integrating a data-driven management control system and establish sustainable operational improvements.
Key results
Achieved an average reduction in maintenance backlog of 79%
Secured an average reduction in maintenance overdues of 98%
Maintenance performance is now reviewed systematically, improving visibility and decision-making.
Background
The client is a prominent energy and industrial solutions provider, with a key facility in their global refining network located in Europe. Established in the 1930s, this refinery has grown to become one of Europe’s largest.
The facility specialises in the production of fuels, petrochemicals, and lubricants, utilising complex processes including crude oil distillation, hydrocracking, and desulfurization. While navigating broader industry challenges such as sustainability, emissions reduction, and energy transition strategies, the client sought to enhance operational efficiency within its extensive maintenance activities.
Analysis
The project was initiated as part of an ongoing partnership, with the primary goal of supporting the rollout of a standardised Work Management process across the client’s network of refineries. This common process had been developed internally by the client’s support group, and our role was to ensure consistent implementation and adoption of best practices at the site level.
To achieve this, Renoir conducted a detailed time-bound analysis to assess the current state of maintenance operations. This included:
Process Mapping: Existing maintenance work processes were mapped to identify inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and gaps in compliance across different sites.
Field Observations: Our consultants spent time on-site, directly observing how maintenance work was planned and executed. This allowed us to uncover ‘real world’ barriers affecting tool-time and productivity.
Root Cause Identification: The analysis revealed that many of the challenges were not due to poor process design, but rather to a lack of understanding, training, and process embedding—leading to inconsistent execution.
Contractor Management Deep-Dive: A focused review of contractor performance management revealed further areas for improvement, including missed opportunities in cost control, accountability, and productivity tracking.
Backlog Visibility Issues: One of the key findings was that many asset teams lacked clear visibility of their maintenance backlogs and overdue tasks, which significantly impacted prioritisation and resource planning.
These insights laid the foundation for designing an implementation approach focused not only on process standardisation but also on building the right capabilities, systems, and behaviours to support sustained change.
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“The site will now work with a data-driven approach in Routine Maintenance, giving a different lever to support managerial performance, supported by a fully integrated management control system.”
— Maintenance Excellence Lead
Project Approach
Renoir applied its proven Focus Process® methodology. While the initial analysis provided valuable insights into performance gaps and process inefficiencies, Renoir recognised that sustainable improvement required deep client involvement from the outset.
The Focus Process® was designed to overcome a common risk in transformation projects—the lack of client ownership during implementation. To address this, the client’s teams were actively engaged in re-evaluating the analysis findings, validating root causes, and shaping the proposed solutions alongside Renoir’s consultants. This collaborative approach ensured that, by the time implementation began, there was strong alignment, ownership, and commitment from the client’s workforce.
Building on the analysis, five interdisciplinary MATs (Multi-level Accountability Teams) were formed to drive the transformation:
Identify & Validate – Focused on how maintenance work was initially raised, screened, and prioritised.
Planning & Scheduling – Addressed how work was planned, resourced, and scheduled across teams.
Execute & Close – Targeted improvements in field execution, quality control, and work order closure.
Contractor Management – Performance – Focused on measuring and improving contractor productivity and accountability.
Contractor Management – Governance – Split into subgroups to improve claim management, financial validation, and quality assurance of contractor-delivered work.
These MATs provided a structured and accountable way to engage cross-functional stakeholders, ensure focus on critical areas, and embed new behaviours and practices aligned with the client’s strategic goals.
“At the start of the project, asset teams were largely unaware of their maintenance backlogs and what was overdue. Now, if they have an overdue Maintenance Order, they know what it is and can explain it in detail.”
— Transformation Manager
Implementation
The implementation was structured in two phases: a Pilot Phase followed by a staggered Rollout Phase across the refinery’s asset teams. This allowed for controlled deployment, refinement, and scalability of the newly standardised Work Management process and associated Management Control System (MCS).
Pilot Phase
A single asset was selected to pilot the new process and tools. The focus was on validating the solutions developed during the Focus Process® and adjusting them based on end-user feedback. Renoir and client coaches provided hands-on support during this phase. Team members were trained on the new Work Management process and the MCS—an integrated system of performance-driven meetings designed to manage work validation, planning, review, and continuous improvement. Lessons from the pilot were used to fine-tune the implementation strategy.
Rollout Phase
Following the pilot, the rollout was executed in phases across the remaining assets, with each deployment lasting eight weeks. Key activities included:
- Conducting SAP data clean-ups to ensure accurate tracking of notifications, backlog, and overdues.
- Providing daily coaching and feedback to support the adoption of new ways of working.
- Embedding the MCS framework and deploying Celonis dashboards for near real-time visibility of maintenance KPIs across the Work Management process.
- Integrating KPI reviews into routine meetings at all levels, from frontline teams to senior refinery leadership.
- Establishing accountability by linking Operations directly to backlog and overdue management, ensuring timely readiness of equipment, and alignment with execution schedules.
Results
Beyond the substantial reduction in maintenance backlog and overdues, the implementation of the management control system ensured that maintenance performance is now systematically reviewed.
- By embedding a robust Management Control System and real-time performance dashboards, the refinery gained full visibility of maintenance requirements.
- The project fostered a data-driven approach within Routine Maintenance, providing a new mechanism to support managerial performance, underpinned by a fully integrated management control system
- The project also drove a cultural shift. Maintenance performance is now monitored systematically, and accountability is established at all levels. With these strong foundations in place, the refinery is well-positioned to sustain the improvements and continue advancing toward maintenance excellence.
- *To maintain strict confidentiality, customer-specific details have been consciously omitted.
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