Shutdown Scheduling Software That Saves $1.8M Per Turnaround
AI-powered shutdown scheduling that reduces plant turnaround duration, cuts labor costs by 30-50%, and handles break-in work with 20-second replanning. Proven across 27 industrial shutdowns.
Shutdown Scheduling Challenges We Solve
Plant shutdowns and turnarounds are among the most complex scheduling problems in industry. Traditional approaches fail because they can't handle the scale and dynamics of modern operations.
Labor Spikes
Traditional schedules create labor peaks exceeding 100+ workers, requiring expensive charter flights and accommodation.
Our AI levels labor curves so peaks never exceed 65 workers.
Break-in Work
Unexpected work discovered mid-shutdown takes 2-3 days to manually replan, causing costly delays.
AI replans entire schedules in 20 seconds with optimal insertion.
Constraint Violations
Manual schedules frequently violate safety, resource, and precedence constraints.
Zero violations guaranteed through constraint programming.
Before vs After OptiSchedule AI
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Planning Time | 4 weeks | 5 minutes |
| Peak Workforce | 700 | 320 |
| Break-in Replan | 2-3 days | 20 seconds |
| Charter Flights | Required | Eliminated |
| Cost Per Shutdown | Baseline | -$1.8M |
How Shutdown Scheduling Software Works
OptiSchedule AI transforms shutdown planning through intelligent automation and continuous optimization:
- SAP Integration: Automatically extracts work orders, operations, task lists, and constraints from SAP PM tables
- Historical Learning: Analyzes 15-20 past shutdowns to learn precedence relationships with 89% accuracy
- Constraint Optimization: Models all constraints mathematically and finds optimal solutions in minutes
- Labor Leveling: Automatically balances workforce across the shutdown window to eliminate spikes
- Dynamic Replanning: Instantly recalculates when break-in work or changes occur
Shutdown Scheduling Process
Industries Using Shutdown Scheduling Software
OptiSchedule AI optimizes shutdowns across industries where downtime directly impacts revenue:
- Mining: Mill shutdowns, equipment overhauls, preventive maintenance windows
- Oil & Gas: Refinery turnarounds, offshore platform maintenance, pipeline shutdowns
- Petrochemical: Process plant turnarounds, catalyst changes, major inspections
- Power Generation: Plant outages, turbine overhauls, boiler maintenance
- Manufacturing: Production line changeovers, equipment replacement windows
Case Study: Mining Giant
"We thought we needed 700 workers. The AI showed us we needed 320. That single insight eliminated charter flights and saved us millions."
- Operations Director
Shutdown Scheduling Software Features
Purpose-built capabilities for complex turnaround management
Critical Path Optimization
Automatically identify and optimize the critical path to minimize total shutdown duration.
Labor Curve Leveling
Flatten labor spikes to reduce peak workforce and eliminate expensive charter flights and accommodation overruns.
Break-in Work Handling
When unexpected work surfaces, replan the entire shutdown in 20 seconds with optimal task insertion.
Constraint Enforcement
Automatically enforce safety zones, equipment dependencies, and resource constraints with zero violations.
Interactive Gantt Charts
Visualize and adjust schedules with drag-and-drop while seeing real-time labor and constraint impact.
SAP PM Integration
Bidirectional integration extracts work orders and writes optimized schedules directly back to SAP.
Related Articles
Deep dive into shutdown scheduling optimization strategies
Ready to Optimize Your Next Shutdown?
See how AI-powered shutdown scheduling can save $1.8M on your next turnaround while reducing planning time from weeks to minutes.