Ultimo EAM at Castrol
Castrol Ghent is part of the international Castrol organization and produces lubricants for various industrial applications. The Belgian site is among the larger production locations and has approximately 160 employees in manufacturing, supported by a maintenance team of about 20 specialists.
Key Results at Castrol Ghent
Within Castrol, Ultimo is deployed at multiple locations worldwide, with each site tailoring the solution to local processes and needs. The site in Ghent distinguishes itself through the strong integration of Ultimo within the daily maintenance operation.
Challenges before implementation
Castrol Ghent was looking for more control, better data quality and predictable processes. On the advice of consultancy firm Mainnovation, a phased approach was chosen, in which Ultimo was given the central role in maintenance management.
Reactive maintenance
This led to significant unplanned downtime and inefficiency.
Maintenance processes were partially managed
Done through various Excel files and manual follow-up, resulting in a lack of overview.
Work orders lacked structure
Next to that, work orders also lacked ownership and consistent follow-up.
Audits repeatedly identified the same improvement points
They need to have better data quality and more predictable processes.
Working towards an integrated maintenance platform
Castrol Ghent wanted to structurally professionalize maintenance and focused on:
more planned maintenance and less reactive work
better work preparation and clear responsibilities
higher data quality and more insight into performance
stronger process assurance within maintenance workflows
Ultimo as the central system and as the single source of truth
Ultimo has been in use at the site in Ghent since 2016. In the years that followed, the system was gradually expanded from work order registration to an integrated maintenance platform. Together with implementation partner MaxGrip, workflows, authorizations, asset structures and maintenance processes were further configured and optimized. The implementation took place in phases over several years, during which maintenance, operations and engineering worked closely together on standardization and process improvement under the guidance of MaxGrip and Mainnovation.
Solutions & Results
Together with Castrol Ghent, Ultimo supported the transformation towards a more predictable and data-driven maintenance organization. By centrally organizing processes, planning and data in Ultimo, more structure, better follow-up and higher operational efficiency were achieved.
From reactive to planned maintenance
Through strong work preparation, clear workflows and better planning, maintenance became predictable instead of reactive. Work orders are now prepared, materials are ready and technicians can focus entirely on execution. As a result, the time spent on malfunctions decreased from approximately 300 to 115 hours per month.
Strong increase in maintenance maturity
Using annual maturity assessments (a proprietary methodology based on 13 pillars), Castrol Ghent worked systematically on improvements within maintenance pillars such as planning, asset management, data quality and continuous improvement. This resulted in an increase in maintenance maturity from 40% to 82% over a five-year period.
Fewer malfunctions and structural cost savings
Through the combination of better processes, more preventive maintenance and data-driven follow-up, the number of malfunctions was halved. As a result, Castrol Ghent achieved a structural annual cost saving of €360,000 (nearly 20% of the annual maintenance budget).
Higher asset availability and value creation
The improved reliability of equipment resulted in significantly less downtime and higher production capacity. This enabled the site to achieve more output with the same resources, resulting in millions of euros in additional value creation per year.
International use
Castrol uses Ultimo across multiple sites. In 2022, Ultimo partner MaxGrip handled the implementation of Ultimo at Castrol India. Within Castrol, knowledge is regularly exchanged between the different sites to learn from each other.
The future
Castrol Ghent continues to build on the next phase of maintenance excellence. The focus is on further optimization of spare parts management, further standardization of asset data, and the deployment of AI-supported processes for work orders and analyses. The team also wants to make maintenance even more data-driven, so that priorities and decisions can be managed more intelligently. The maturity model remains an important guideline for setting new improvement objectives annually and further professionalizing the organization. Ultimo looks forward to further supporting Castrol Ghent in this next phase of digital and operational development.
Let’s connect
Get your questions answered. Schedule a personalized demo to see how Ultimo can add ease and value to your business. No strings attached.
