The Challenge
A paper mill was operating with a downtime rate of 10.38 percent, a level that was costing the business significant capacity, driving up cost per ton, and creating unreliable delivery timelines that strained customer relationships.
Mechanical stoppages, changeover delays, and unclassified minor breakdowns were accumulating into a pattern of chronic underperformance that the existing maintenance approach was not equipped to address.
The Approach
A downtime analysis system was introduced to classify every stoppage by its cause, duration, and frequency, giving the organization a clear picture of where its losses were coming from. The improvement initiative then focused on:
- Redesigning preventive maintenance schedules based on evidence from the downtime analysis
- Institutionalizing root-cause failure analysis as a standard practice to ensure problems were understood before solutions were applied
- Implementing operator-led autonomous maintenance routines so minor issues were caught and addressed before they escalated
- Adopting daily downtime review huddles so teams could track trends, share learning, and prioritize corrective actions in real time
The Outcome
Downtime decreased from 10.38 percent to 7.73 percent, recovering more than 1,250 machine hours annually. The financial impact was estimated at $430,000 CAD per year.
Delivery reliability improved, overtime requirements decreased, and machine utilization increased. The mill established a stronger maintenance culture and a more stable, predictable production environment.