Why Plant Reliability is Built on the Small Things — Not Just Big Projects

In many plants, large capital projects get the most attention.

New equipment, system upgrades, and major overhauls are seen as the drivers of improved performance.

But in our experience at BIA Engineering Ltd, true plant reliability is built on the small things — and the small things are often neglected.

It is the minor system interactions, calibration details, process tweaks, and day-to-day operational adjustments that collectively make or break plant stability.

The Pattern We See

Across dozens of plants and projects, we’ve observed the same pattern:

• Big projects deliver capacity — but often leave reliability gaps

• Small issues accumulate over time, eroding performance

• Maintenance teams firefight symptoms instead of addressing root causes

• Operators develop workarounds instead of trusting the system

• Plant performance degrades slowly and steadily

The Real Cost

Left unchecked, these “small” issues cause:

• Increased downtime

• Higher maintenance costs

• Operator frustration and loss of confidence

• Reduced equipment life

• Missed production targets

Our Approach

At BIA Engineering Ltd, we make a point of focusing on the details that matter:

• Fine-tuning control system performance

• Addressing instrumentation drift before it impacts process stability

• Correcting valve behaviours that operators have simply learned to live with

• Improving alarm logic to reduce operator noise

• Identifying and eliminating the minor problems that contribute to major unreliability

Real Example

In one plant, we systematically worked through a list of minor chronic issues:

• Re-tuning a handful of loops

• Replacing poorly performing sensors

• Correcting valve characterisation

• Implementing smarter alarm handling

Individually, none of these fixes was dramatic.

Collectively, they transformed plant stability and operator trust — with measurable gains in uptime and product quality.

Why It Matters

Big projects are important — but they are not the full picture.

Reliability is cumulative.

It is built day by day, system by system, detail by detail.

Ignoring the small things guarantees poor outcomes — no matter how much is spent on major upgrades.

Engineering solutions beyond expectations means understanding this truth — and helping our clients build reliability from the ground up.

If your plant needs a partner who will focus on what really matters — at every level — we are ready to help.