About Castrol Ghent
Castrol Ghent is part of the international Castrol organization and produces lubricants for various industrial applications. The Belgian site is among the larger production locations and has approximately 160 employees in manufacturing, supported by a maintenance team of about 20 specialists. Within Castrol, Ultimo is deployed at multiple locations worldwide, with each site tailoring the solution to local processes and needs. The site in Ghent distinguishes itself through the strong integration of Ultimo within the daily maintenance operation.
Key Results
Maintenance maturity: from 40% to 82% in five years
Failures and costs: number of failures halved and €360,000 annual savings
Challenges before implementation
Reactive maintenance led to significant unplanned downtime and inefficiency
Maintenance processes were partially managed through various Excel files and manual follow-up, resulting in a lack of overview
Work orders lacked structure, ownership and consistent follow-up
Audits repeatedly identified the same improvement points
Castrol Ghent was looking for more control, better data quality and predictable processes. On the advice of consultancy firm Mainnovation, a phased approach was chosen, in which Ultimo was given the central role in maintenance management.
Implementation
Castrol Ghent wanted to structurally professionalize maintenance and focused on:
more planned maintenance and less reactive work
better work preparation and clear responsibilities
higher data quality and more insight into performance
stronger process assurance within maintenance workflows
Ultimo as the central system and as the single source of truth
Ultimo has been in use at the site in Ghent since 2016. In the years that followed, the system was gradually expanded from work order registration to an integrated maintenance platform. Together with implementation partner MaxGrip, workflows, authorizations, asset structures and maintenance processes were further configured and optimized. The implementation took place in phases over several years, during which maintenance, operations and engineering worked closely together on standardization and process improvement under the guidance of MaxGrip and Mainnovation.
Solutions & Results
Together with Castrol Ghent, Ultimo supported the transformation towards a more predictable and data-driven maintenance organization. By centrally organizing processes, planning and data in Ultimo, more structure, better follow-up and higher operational efficiency were achieved.
From reactive to planned maintenance
Through strong work preparation, clear workflows and better planning, maintenance became predictable instead of reactive. Work orders are now prepared, materials are ready and technicians can focus entirely on execution. As a result, the time spent on malfunctions decreased from approximately 300 to 115 hours per month.
Strong increase in maintenance maturity
Using annual maturity assessments (a proprietary methodology based on 13 pillars), Castrol Ghent worked systematically on improvements within maintenance pillars such as planning, asset management, data quality and continuous improvement. This resulted in an increase in maintenance maturity from 40% to 82% over a five-year period.
Fewer malfunctions and structural cost savings
Through the combination of better processes, more preventive maintenance and data-driven follow-up, the number of malfunctions was halved. As a result, Castrol Ghent achieved a structural annual cost saving of €360,000 (nearly 20% of the annual maintenance budget).
Higher asset availability and value creation
The improved reliability of equipment resulted in significantly less downtime and higher production capacity. This enabled the site to achieve more output with the same resources, resulting in millions of euros in additional value creation per year.
International use
Castrol uses Ultimo across multiple sites. In 2022, Ultimo partner MaxGrip handled the implementation of Ultimo at Castrol India. Within Castrol, knowledge is regularly exchanged between the different sites to learn from each other.
The future
Castrol Ghent continues to build on the next phase of maintenance excellence. The focus is on further optimization of spare parts management, further standardization of asset data, and the deployment of AI-supported processes for work orders and analyses. The team also wants to make maintenance even more data-driven, so that priorities and decisions can be managed more intelligently. The maturity model remains an important guideline for setting new improvement objectives annually and further professionalizing the organization. Ultimo looks forward to further supporting Castrol Ghent in this next phase of digital and operational development.
Let’s connect
Get your questions answered. Schedule a personalized demo to see how Ultimo can add ease and value to your business. No strings attached.
Latest resources
For multi-site manufacturers, maintenance standardization is no longer an operational housekeeping issue. It directly affects uptime, cost control, compliance, capital planning, and the ability to scale improvement across the enterprise.
As a proud sponsor of IFS Unleashed 2026, our parent company's flagship event, Ultimo is excited to bring together customers, industry leaders, and asset management professionals for a dedicated Executive Leadership Track.
Designed specifically for asset-intensive organisations, the programme will explore how Industrial AI is transforming asset management, operational resilience, and decision-making, while providing valuable opportunities for peer networking, executive discussions, and direct engagement with Ultimo leadership. As part of the wider IFS Unleashed experience, attendees will also benefit from world-class keynote speakers and leadership insights.
Industrial asset management is changing, and the industry is taking notice.
It Isn’t About Consolidation. It’s About Intelligence.
Ultimo expands its Intelligent Asset Management platform with three purpose-built digital workers for planning, maintenance, and safety - with early customers including Berkvens Doorsystems already reporting results.
And how a stronger data foundation can finally move them into a positive loop
In 2026, firefighting isn’t a strategy. It’s a symptom of everything happening underneath.
At this year’s Connected Worker Exchange, leaders from manufacturing, life sciences, energy, and industrial organizations came together around a question many operations leaders are asking now:
How do we make AI work in the reality of frontline operations?
To support reliability, scalability, and operational excellence, maintenance is considered a core activity. Ultimo’s intelligent asset management solutions provide the right support.
Limburger Packaging Group, a trusted name in metal packaging, uses Ultimo to enhance efficiency, transparency, and control across maintenance and asset management, supporting its long-term vision for smart, connected operations.
My colleague, Sophie gave a performance review last month. The employee didn't say a word.
That's because the employee was Contract IQ - an AI agent that handles legal questions for our team. Sophie, our General Counsel, sat down with its metrics the same way she would with any direct report. Response times. Accuracy rates. Knowledge gaps. Goals for next month.