With Luiz Felipe Coutinho Batista and Fabio Machado
Mill outages—the necessary periods of shutdown for pulp and paper facilities—are often viewed as unavoidable costs. However, a strategic approach transforms these complex events from production liabilities into strategic investments. The key is moving beyond technical checklists to embrace integrated governance, radical predictability, and the essential element of soft-skill-driven organizational transition.
The Multi-Layered Complexity of Mill Outages
Mills face various types of planned stoppages: sector, cold mill, and the major annual general mill outage. The complexity is not just the stoppage itself, but the intricate coordination required across all process areas to determine the exact time to shut down and, more critically, restart equipment to minimize production loss.
The general mill outage is a critical opportunity for major maintenance, necessary inspections, system upgrades, and to ensure regulatory compliance for assets like pressure vessels. Handled correctly, these events are crucial investments for future performance and plant longevity.
Four Pillars of a Value-Driven Shutdown
The traditional, reactive shutdown model is being transformed into an integrated, predictable, and value-driven operation. This transformation is built on four non-negotiable pillars:
- Safety: The foundational pillar, ensuring a safer work environment through better planning and preparation.
- Governance: Establishing an integrated governance model with clear priorities and accountability, eliminating the inefficiencies of past “multiple decision centers”.
- Predictability: Moving beyond static expectations to a dynamic system.
- Business Strategy: Directly linking the outage execution to high-level business objectives, focusing on outcomes rather than just technical deliveries.
Radical Predictability: The Master Schedule Blueprint
Historically, outage preparation was managed via a simple “T minus” spreadsheet. The innovation now is to transfer this data into a comprehensive digital chronogram—a master schedule. This new system addresses the traditional lack of predictability and schedule expectations by connecting three critical components: the master schedule, the critical path, and the field execution sequence. By using advanced tools, the team can anticipate interferences and dynamically adjust plans based on real time data, leading to reduced deviations and higher schedule reliability.
Within that master schedule blueprint, we also develop the plant’s operational schedule, which represents how the facility will conduct the equipment shutdown procedures. It also defines the maintenance windows available until startup is initiated again.
Technical Differentiation: Beyond the Gantt Chart
Our approach integrates maintenance time schedules into the chronogram and uses specific technical tools to improve field execution and cost control. For example:
- Conflict Anticipation: New AutoCAD site maps of the entire mill were created. These drawings visualize where every team will be working during the outage, allowing for anticipation and resolution of conflicts over shared space required for activities like cranes or hydro blasting before the work begins.
- Cost Control and Procurement: Structural changes were implemented within the client’s SAP system to enable better cost management by specialty. Experts are also assisting the procurement team by innovating ideas for creating resource pools to negotiate and reduce contractor pricing.
- Scope of Execution: For each maintenance window we define the scope of what will be executed during the shutdown; developing the micro-detailed schedule of maintenance orders – preventive, corrective, and predictive – across all areas of the plant.
- Integrated Schedule: Removing siloes and making sure each department understands the schedule.
- Histogram: Timenow develops a histogram of all resources required for the shutdown execution, along with daily management dashboards throughout the entire period.
The Crucial Element of Soft Skills and Trust
Technical challenges are often compounded by organizational transition—in this particular case, the client had recently acquired the mill and was implementing a new management model focused on efficiency and cost control.
Processes can change quickly, but culture takes time. The core challenge shifts from technical execution to soft skills, requiring the team to actively build trust with existing teams, ensure clear and consistent communication (despite potential language challenges), and translate the high-level strategy into practical day-to-day actions.
Ultimately, the success of a transformation project hinges on the full engagement of the people. The team’s commitment extends beyond consolidated technical tools; it involves supporting the transition with clarity, consistency, and, most importantly, trust. By focusing on governance, predictability, strategic alignment, and safety, they enabled better decision-making, proper resource prioritization, and clear value communication to all stakeholders—turning a complex operational event into a measurable business triumph.
Timenow Differentiation and Alignment
At TimeNow we differentiated our approach by integrating maintenance time schedules, creating new site maps to anticipate spatial conflicts, and improving cost control via SAP. The project was unique as 2 individuals were performing work usually handled by an entire crew, aiming to link technical work directly to business objectives for clear value communication. This offers cost savings to the client and allowed for greater control over the master schedule and attendant details.
Through applying these detailed processes and steps, Timenow was able to head off possible conflicting schedules with different departments, and engage everyone on the successful outcome of the process.
A partner in success
With a dedicated team from Timenow we can help you plan your asset management and outage strategy and help you implement it. We can map your asset hierarchy and develop a maintenance plan that:
- Reduces downtime
- Increases asset life
- Brings a time-tested approach
We bring a partnership mindset, so if you’re ready to optimize your asset management plans and are struggling with the details and steps involved, our team is here to help. Book a 20-minute diagnostic call and learn how Timenow can support your asset management with on-site readiness and structured methodology.