with Henrique Vieira

Many industrial operators, including those in the pulp and paper sector, rely on critical equipment that requires specialized maintenance. While routine maintenance keeps most assets operating, certain critical assets require a major non-routine overhaul. These projects may involve disassembly, detailed inspection, specialized repairs, and replacement of components that are difficult to source.

Such overhauls may be expected but occur many years apart, with limited opportunities for full inspection between interventions. Owner-operators may lack the technical expertise needed for the work, while qualified service providers, specialized workshops, and replacement parts can be difficult to secure. Without adequate planning and execution, these challenges can extend downtime and lead to lost revenue.

Timenow’s Project Controls and Integration Management service provides specialized support for these projects, coordinating interdependent activities, anticipating deviations, and prioritizing each step to reduce risk.

Timenow’s experience includes integrated project controls for a $4–5 billion greenfield paper mill project, using its Time Connect platform to connect cost tracking, vendor coordination, and scheduling from feasibility through closeout. While specialized equipment overhauls differ in scale and scope, they also require a coordinated view of activities, dependencies, and decisions throughout execution. Read the full case study here.

Scope and Operational Risk

Proactive risk mitigation begins with understanding what is known about the equipment and what can only be confirmed during disassembly and inspection. Because of the specialized nature of the asset and the long intervals between overhauls, the full scope of work may not be clear at the outset. Inspection findings may reveal the need for additional repairs or replacement parts, creating the potential for uncontrolled scope growth.

For certain critical equipment, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or an authorized service provider may be responsible for inspection, recommending the required work, supplying parts, and performing the service. This creates a strong dependency on a single provider and makes independent, technically supported scope definition and go/no-go decisions especially important. Clear technical criteria help the owner evaluate recommendations and decide whether to proceed with additional work, considering the operational need, cost, and schedule impact.

These projects require an adaptive approach rather than a strictly sequential Waterfall model in which the scope is fully defined before execution. An initial scope, baseline schedule, and clear controls are still essential, but the final scope develops as inspection findings become available. The approach has Agile-like characteristics: findings are evaluated as work progresses, with technically supported go/no-go decisions and controlled scope changes guiding the next steps.

Timenow helps industrial organizations define the initial scope, evaluate OEM recommendations, and map the full process, including potential changes. By clarifying equipment criticality, operational constraints, and dependencies between teams, Timenow identifies risks and tracks the evolving scope against the initial plan. This gives the owner a basis for evaluating proposed changes and their effects on cost and schedule.

Integrating Teams and Schedules

Successful project controls and integration management depend on connecting the activities and teams involved. A specialized equipment overhaul may include the owner-operator, the main contractor, smaller contractors responsible for specific components, and the OEM. Each team brings its own responsibilities, information, and schedule.

Without a complete overview, the main contractor’s schedule may be treated as the overall project schedule. That view can overlook interfaces, dependencies, and risks associated with other contractors and stakeholders.

Timenow integrates these schedules into a master schedule that reflects the full project. We check spare-parts inventory, liaise with the OEM, integrate contractor activities, and validate information from different sources against project requirements. Connecting and sharing this information helps align teams across systems and components, establishing a baseline for coordinating work and measuring progress.

Anticipating Deviations and Delays

Timenow can simulate processes before developing the schedule to evaluate risks and the practicality of the proposed sequence, even when historical data is limited. Simulation may be computational, but it often involves engineering drawings and tabletop analysis to identify required checks and determine an effective sequence of activities. Timenow performs this analysis and coordinates the teams involved to reduce risk and maintain alignment.

When equipment goes years between major overhauls, the challenge is preserving the technical knowledge, planning, resources, and readiness needed to execute the work when it becomes due. Infrequent maintenance can still be anticipated and prepared for.

As findings emerge, Timenow supports timely decisions grounded in technical evidence and an understanding of project impacts. An integrated master schedule, risk analysis, and ongoing progress monitoring help teams evaluate alternatives, plan for potential delays, and manage downtime and cost.

Project Performance and Cost

A successful project starts with defining the operational result the plant or mill needs to achieve. Upfront analysis, team alignment, and contingency planning help establish clear expectations for the overhaul, including the work required, the schedule, and the intended performance after the equipment returns to service.

For instance, completing an overhaul or getting a turbine running does not necessarily mean achieving the operational objective. In that case, reliable generation at the expected power is the true measure of success. Planning must account for the full process required to achieve that result.

By bringing technical knowledge, project controls, and integration management together, Timenow helps the client understand the schedule, evaluate cost and scope decisions, and align expectations across all teams. The aim is to complete the work with the coordination and readiness needed to achieve the expected operational result.

Timenow has 30 years of experience executing specialized asset projects. To discuss project controls and integration management for your next major equipment overhaul, contact us.