MEIL is one of India’s leading infrastructure and energy companies. Within their oil & gas vertical, they handle critical onshore rig construction projects involving large-scale fabrication, supply chain management, and on-site assembly. These are complex, capital-intensive projects with multiple suppliers and subcontractors, and any delay directly affects customer delivery timelines and revenue realization.

Despite their experience, MEIL was struggling with significant delays in rig execution projects—particularly in fabrication and assembly phases.

The Challenge: Why Projects Were Getting Stuck

Several recurring issues were hampering execution:

1.  Fabrication Delays:

• Vendors took 3–6 months for dispatch after drawings were released.
• MEIL’s internal teams could not start work because fabricated items weren’t arriving in sync with the site plan.

2. Assembly Phase Disruptions:

• Multiple subassemblies had to come together to complete a rig.
• Workfront was not available in time, leading to idle labor and firefighting.
• Teams were frequently switching between rigs, fragmenting progress.

3.  Site Readiness Issues:

• For every rig, site execution had to be completed before final assembly—often delayed due to uncoordinated fronts.

4. Lack of Flow:

• Teams started more rigs without closing earlier ones.
• There was no clear visibility or control on what was stuck and why.

The Business Impact

• Execution delays were becoming the norm. Several rigs were stuck in WIP with little progress week to week.
• Resource utilization was inefficient — people were busy, but rigs weren’t getting completed.
• Customer delivery dates were slipping, risking reputation and business.

The Solution: Bringing Flow to Rig Execution

MEIL partnered with Realization Technologies to implement a radically different execution model, inspired by CCPM and TOC. The idea was to reduce overload, create flow, and ensure end-to-end closures instead of scattered starts.

Key Changes Made:

1.  Focus & Finish Strategy

• Instead of starting multiple rigs in parallel, the number of active rigs was limited.
• Teams focused on finishing one rig before moving to the next.

2.  Full-Kitting Before Assembly

Final assembly of rigs only started when all required components were available—preventing stops due to missing parts.

3. Workfront Readiness Discipline

No team was allowed to begin work unless the complete front (design, parts, and site readiness) was available—ensuring fewer disruptions.

4. Execution Control Rooms

Daily control room reviews helped identify stuck points across vendors, fabrication, and site teams—bringing proactive actions instead of reactive firefighting.

The Results: Projects Got Back on Track

1. Reduced Rig Turnaround Time

Average rig execution time reduced by 20–25% across sites.

2. Improved Resource Efficiency

Less switching between rigs meant better output from the same teams.

3.  Predictable Deliveries

More rigs started getting completed on committed timelines—improving customer confidence.

4. Vendor Coordination Improved

Vendors were better managed through synchronized release and delivery schedules.

Closing Note

MEIL’s Rig Projects Are Now Back in Flow. With better focus, fewer disruptions, and smarter execution control—MEIL is moving from delay-prone projects to a new standard of timely deliveries.