Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Improving reliability competence across a multi-site team
A global pharmaceutical company wanted its Reliability team to build the confidence, technical depth and practical capability needed to improve equipment reliability and future production opportunity.
Context
Knowledge needed to become applied capability.
The flagship multi-site facility covered API, sterile, OSD, narcotics, inspection and packaging operations. The company wanted stronger reliability engineering capability across this complex environment.
Improved competence was expected to support equipment reliability, reduce unplanned downtime, increase production opportunities and develop the personal characteristics of future leaders.
Baseline
Basic understanding
The team needed a clearer route from awareness to consistent application.
Target
Advanced knowledge
Competence had to be measurable, coached and connected to daily reliability work.
Scope
Multi-site pilot
The approach was tested across three facilities with local and global collaboration.
Approach
Build the matrix, teach the method, coach the application.
RTL combined a tailored competence matrix, interactive training and side-by-side site support so the team could apply the learning to real work.
Benchmark the Reliability function and identify nine key areas with supporting subtopics.
Develop a tailored Competence Matrix with clear progression and regular one-to-one assessments.
Use existing SOPs, fill documentation gaps and deliver personalised, interactive training with practical examples.
Work alongside the local team during a three-facility pilot, mentoring Reliability Engineers as they applied the methods.
Provide continuous feedback, define the next steps and strengthen confidence in FMEA, Root Cause Analysis and Bad Actor Analysis.
What changed
Technical tools became part of the team's operating rhythm.
The work focused on the quality of application, not just completion of a training package.
Improved FMEA quality, more thorough Root Cause Analysis and the introduction of Bad Actor Analysis helped the team target repeat breakdowns and identify failure modes that had previously been missed.
Better FMEA
Historic FMEA was reviewed and revised to address low detectability and high-occurrence failure modes.
Root-cause focus
Corrective actions were rolled out to similar assets where repeat failures were identified.
Confidence in practice
Mentorship and regular assessment connected technical knowledge to day-to-day decisions.
Result
From basic understanding to advanced knowledge in six months.
The programme improved competence and practical reliability work while developing a stronger internal capability for the future.
The source case study also records recognition for “Best Teamwork in a Project†at the annual Global Engineering Conference. This page presents the evidence as supplied by RTL.
Next step
Does your team know what good looks like in practice?
RTL can help assess capability, build a practical development route and support engineers as they apply the learning on site.