When a critical asset goes down at a cement plant, the clock that matters most is Mean Time to Repair. Every extra minute a technician spends finding the right work order, walking to the wrong storeroom, or waiting on a part that should have been in stock is a minute the plant isn't producing. This case study looks at how a cement plant tightened MTTR by fixing three specific gaps in its maintenance process: work order clarity, spare parts visibility, and repair planning. Sign up to see how the same approach could tighten MTTR at your plant.
-34% MTTR
Reduction in average repair time across critical assets after the change
3 Gaps Fixed
Work order clarity, spare parts visibility, and repair planning
Real-Time Stock View
Spare parts availability now visible before a technician leaves for the job
One Search, Done
Asset history and past fixes searchable from a single work order screen
The Challenge: Repairs Took Longer Than The Fault Itself Warranted
Where Things Stood Before
Technicians often arrived at a breakdown without knowing what had failed there before, whether a spare was actually in stock, or which storeroom held it. A simple bearing swap could stretch into hours once someone had to track down the part and figure out the fix from scratch.
The Approach: Closing The Three Biggest Time Sinks
1
Standardized Work Order Detail
Work orders now include asset history, prior fault codes, and past repair notes, so a technician isn't diagnosing from zero
2
Live Spare Parts Visibility
Spare parts stock and storeroom location now show directly on the work order before a technician leaves the shop
3
Critical Spares Reorder Thresholds
Minimum stock thresholds were set on critical spares so a low count triggers reordering before the shelf goes empty
4
Priority-Based Work Dispatch
Work orders are now dispatched by asset criticality, so a critical breakdown doesn't sit behind routine requests
Give Your Technicians The Same Head Start
Oxmaint puts asset history, spare parts location, and stock levels directly on every work order, so repairs start with answers instead of guesswork. Sign up for a free trial to get started, or book a demo to see it in action.
Before And After: What Actually Changed
| Metric |
Before |
After |
| Average MTTR on critical assets |
Roughly 5.2 hours |
Roughly 3.4 hours |
| Time spent locating spare parts |
Often 30 to 60 minutes per job |
Confirmed before leaving the shop |
| Stockouts on critical spares |
Frequent, discovered mid-repair |
Flagged and reordered before running out |
| Work order dispatch |
First-come, first-served |
Sorted by asset criticality |
Where A CMMS Fits Into MTTR Improvement
Oxmaint attaches asset history and spare parts location directly to every work order, and tracks reorder thresholds automatically, so technicians spend their time repairing equipment instead of searching for information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q
What usually drives MTTR up in cement plants?
Most delay isn't the repair itself, it's the time spent finding the right work order details, tracking down a spare part's location, or discovering a critical spare is out of stock mid-repair.
Q
How does spare parts visibility reduce repair time?
When a technician can see stock count and storeroom location on the work order itself, they can grab the part on the way to the job instead of discovering it's missing once the equipment is already stripped down.
Q
Can a CMMS set reorder alerts for critical spares automatically?
Yes, a CMMS can track stock levels against a defined minimum threshold for critical spares and flag a reorder before the shelf runs empty, rather than after a technician discovers the gap.
Turn Every Breakdown Into A Faster Fix
Oxmaint puts asset history, spare parts stock, and criticality-based dispatch on every work order automatically. Sign up for a free trial to see it work on your data, or book a demo to walk through it live.
