Case Studies
Audits That Moved the Needle.
Every engagement starts with a rigorous audit. These are the findings — and the results that followed.
What We Audit. What We Find. What Changes.
Our audits are not compliance exercises. They are structured investigations into the operational, equipment, and workforce factors driving your reliability losses. We document the current state in precise detail, identify root causes, and deliver a prioritized action plan with projected ROI for every recommendation. The case studies below represent the kinds of findings and outcomes our clients experience across industries.
Stockroom Disorder Was Costing More Than the Parts
The Situation
A heavy manufacturing facility was experiencing chronic delays in maintenance response times. Technicians were spending 30–45 minutes per work order searching for parts, improvising with wrong-spec components, or waiting on emergency procurement. The stockroom had never been formally audited.
Audit Findings
Parts misclassified or unlabeled
38%Critical spares with zero stock
22 itemsObsolete inventory tying up capital
$214KAvg. technician time lost per work order
37 minActions Taken
Full stockroom reclassification and labeling system implemented
Critical spare parts list established with min/max reorder levels
Obsolete inventory liquidated and capital redeployed to critical spares
Parts kitting process introduced for planned maintenance work orders
Results
Reduction in parts search time
Obsolete inventory recovered
Improvement in maintenance labor productivity
Time to full implementation
"We knew the stockroom was a problem. We didn't know it was a $400K-a-year problem until Apex put numbers to it."
— Maintenance Manager, Heavy Manufacturing
The Same Failure. Twelve Times in Eighteen Months.
The Situation
A process manufacturer had experienced twelve failures on a critical pump train over 18 months. Each failure was repaired and returned to service. No formal root cause analysis had ever been completed. The total cost of these events — including lost production, emergency labor, and parts — exceeded $1.8M.
Audit Findings
Root cause identified as installation practice
ConfirmedFailures attributable to single correctable cause
11 of 12Avg. cost per failure event
$150KYears the root cause had gone unaddressed
4+ yrsActions Taken
Root cause identified as improper shaft alignment practice during installation
Precision alignment procedure developed and documented
Maintenance technicians trained on laser alignment equipment
Alignment verification added as mandatory step in work order closure
Results
Recurrences in 12 months post-implementation
Annual loss eliminated
Improvement in pump MTBF
Audit to full resolution
"Twelve failures and nobody had ever asked why. Apex asked why on day one."
— Plant Director, Process Manufacturing
Hidden Throughput Losses Across Three Production Lines
The Situation
A food and beverage manufacturer believed their three production lines were operating at 85–90% efficiency based on internal reporting. An Apex efficiency audit revealed the actual OEE was significantly lower — and that the reporting methodology itself was masking the losses.
Audit Findings
Actual OEE vs. reported OEE
61% vs. 87%Throughput loss from untracked micro-stoppages
14%Speed loss from conservative operator settings
9%Annual revenue impact of identified losses
$2.3MActions Taken
OEE measurement methodology corrected and standardized across all lines
Micro-stoppage root causes identified and addressed through PM adjustments
Operator speed settings reviewed and optimized with engineering sign-off
Real-time production monitoring dashboard implemented
Results
OEE achieved within 90 days
Annual throughput value recovered
OEE improvement in 90 days
Reporting now reflects true performance
"We thought we were running at 87%. We were running at 61%. That gap was costing us $2.3M a year and we had no idea."
— VP Operations, Food & Beverage
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What would an audit find in your operation?
Most clients are surprised by what a structured audit uncovers. Schedule a discovery call and let's find out.
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