The plant was losing millions annually to unplanned downtime, outdated SOPs, and compliance penalties. The client, a leading player in the industrial manufacturing sector, was grappling with significant operational inefficiencies that directly impacted production output and profitability.

Over the previous two fiscal years, the plant had recorded millions of naira in losses tied to unplanned equipment downtime, inefficient maintenance routines, and recurring compliance fines from regulatory agencies.

Investigations revealed that much of the downtime was caused by reactive maintenance practices — teams only addressed breakdowns after they occurred rather than proactively preventing them. Additionally, outdated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), some last reviewed over five years ago, no longer align with current operational realities or OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards.

Compliance performance was another major challenge. Inconsistent record-keeping, fragmented documentation, and manual safety inspections made it nearly impossible for the plant to demonstrate adherence to regulatory standards during audits. The combination of these issues exposed the company to financial, reputational, and legal risks, while also eroding employee confidence in management’s ability to maintain a safe and reliable working environment.

The executive team recognized that the plant’s sustainability hinged on establishing modern, transparent, and automated processes capable of ensuring compliance, minimizing downtime, and maximizing productivity.

We approached the engagement as a full-scale operational transformation, with the goal of turning compliance and reliability into strategic strengths rather than recurring pain points.

1. Diagnostic Audit and Process Mapping: We began with a comprehensive audit spanning maintenance, operations, and compliance workflows. Every process — from daily inspection routines to equipment calibration schedules — was mapped end-to-end. This diagnostic phase helped uncover critical pain points, including duplicated approval cycles, missed maintenance intervals, and nonstandard documentation practices.

2. Root Cause Analysis: Data from the audit was analyzed to determine patterns in downtime incidents. We discovered that 62% of all unplanned stoppages originated from predictable issues like lubrication failures, overdue inspections, and delayed part replacements. These insights shaped our roadmap for introducing automation and process redesign.

3. Automation and Digital Transformation: To reduce reliance on manual intervention, we implemented automation for routine inspections using simple, cost-effective digital tools that allowed maintenance teams to log and track equipment health in real time. We digitized all SOPs and stored them in a central knowledge hub accessible across shifts, ensuring consistent execution. We also designed and deployed a Compliance Tracking Dashboard — an integrated system that automatically flagged upcoming inspections, tracked corrective actions, and generated audit-ready reports. This innovation replaced error-prone spreadsheets and created a live compliance monitoring environment visible to both management and the HSE department.

4. Regulatory Alignment and Staff Capacity Building: Working closely with the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) unit, we reviewed all operational procedures to ensure alignment with OSHA standards and local industry safety regulations. We then conducted a series of capacity-building workshops for supervisors and plant operators to reinforce compliance culture, clarify accountability, and train personnel on the new digital systems.

5. Change Management and Pilot Implementation: Before full-scale deployment, we ran a 4-week pilot within one high-risk production unit to test the redesigned workflow. Using performance dashboards, we measured turnaround time, equipment reliability, and safety compliance during the pilot. The success of this phase — a 29% reduction in reactive maintenance tasks — validated the solution and secured leadership buy-in for organization-wide rollout.

6 Months Total

The transformation yielded measurable and lasting impact across performance, safety, and profitability metrics:

Beyond the metrics, the project fundamentally shifted the organization’s culture — from reactive firefighting to proactive, data-driven operations. By embedding compliance into daily practice rather than treating it as a periodic exercise, the plant positioned itself for long-term operational excellence and regulatory confidence.