1.4K
Employees
Boosting Maintenance Efficiency and Reliability Across a PVC Production Network
A leading PVC manufacturer faced aging assets, declining reliability, and rising maintenance costs across several sites. EFESO conducted a rapid maintenance and reliability assessment, followed by in-depth operational analysis. The engagement identified over €2M in savings, uncovered major efficiency gains, and provided a detailed roadmap to strengthen preventive maintenance and boost production reliability.
Chemicals
Manufacturing
Operational Excellence
Operations Strategy and Transformation
Our Client
Our client is a chemical company and the second-largest producer of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) in Europe. The group employs 1,400 people and generates a turnover of around 1.2 billion euros. Its activities are primarily located in France, reflecting a strong national presence in the industry.
€1.2B
Annual turnover
#2
Largest PVC producer in Europe
The Challenge
The company needed to significantly improve maintenance efficiency and recover reliability after years of underinvestment. Key objectives included:
- Assessing maintenance and reliability performance across four sites
- Identifying structural gaps and improvement levers
- Aligning stakeholders from shop floor to top management
- Building efficiency now to prepare for increasing demand
- Reducing technical production losses and optimizing preventive maintenance
Real Results Achieved Together
The assessment uncovered major savings opportunities and significant reliability gains across all sites.
Maintenance efficiency:
- Site 1: 20–25% FTE efficiency gain → €1–2M savings
- Site 2: 12–15% internal and 15–17% subcontractor efficiency gains → €420–482K
- +34% improvement in work orders/FTE (Sector 1)
- +15% improvement in work orders/FTE (Sector 2)
Reliability improvements:
- Site 1: 30–55% reduction in technical production losses in key product lines
- Site 2: 35–48% loss reduction across two main lines
- Reliability diagnostics uncovered 43–57% loss reduction potential overall
OEE performance:
- Upstream line increased from 88% to 93% (+6%)
- Downstream line increased from 73% to 85% (+13%)
Quality gains:
- >80% acceptance rate at first-time reception of works
Roadmap delivered:
- Detailed, actionable roadmap for each workstream
- Alignment ensured with local teams, management, and leadership
- Pilots launched at 2 sites, expanded to a 3rd, with a 4th in preparation
Transformation Impact
- More than two millions of euros in savings identified across sites
- An efficiency gain of thirty-four percent in Sector 1
- More than thirteen of OEE increase on downstream site
Our Approach
The engagement followed a structured, two-phase assessment complemented by implementation pilots.
Phase 1 — Rapid Assessment
- Identification of value creation levers
- High-level roadmap and opportunity mapping
- Support for “go / no-go” decisions on improvement initiatives
Phase 2 — In-Depth Operational Analysis
- Quantification of savings and efficiency opportunities
- Strategic alignment with leadership teams
- Detailed roadmap creation per workstream (maintenance, reliability, planning, scheduling, routines)
4 Core Levers Applied
- Preparation: improved processes, spares management, job cards, workshop pre-work
- Planning & Scheduling: weekly steering, workload-based planning, prioritization, critical path management
- Work Authorization: better coordination, reduced waiting times, improved anomaly tracking
- Performance Routines: clarified KPIs, roles, and responsibilities
Roll-out & Sustainability
- Pilots launched at two sites, expanded to a third, with deployment planned for a fourth
- KPI management and knowledge transfer routines established
- Structured leadership training and daily management practices introduced
Related Services
Aging equipment meets rising costs and technology disruption. We transform operations through smart factory integration, predictive maintenance, and workforce capability building.
Ready to Strengthen Maintenance and Reliability Performance?
- Uuncover hidden efficiency opportunities in your maintenance organization
- Reduce technical losses and boost OEE
- A clear, actionable roadmap for multi-site deployment
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