A large energy and utilities organization partnered with Thco to address rising operating costs, aging infrastructure, workforce transition challenges, and increasing competitive pressure. The transformation focused on improving asset performance, redesigning operational workflows, enabling data-driven decision-making, and upgrading workforce capability allowing leadership to improve financial performance while maintaining reliability and regulatory compliance.
Project challenges
The organization operated complex, capital-intensive assets across multiple business lines. While demand remained stable, profitability and agility were under pressure.
Key challenges included:
Rising operating and maintenance costs
High levels of unplanned downtime
Limited real-time visibility into asset and network performance
Aging workforce and critical skills gaps
Digital tools deployed unevenly with low adoption
Increasing regulatory and reporting complexity
Strategic direction was clear, but execution consistency and operational discipline were limiting performance.
The thco Approach
Thco was engaged to strengthen execution across operations combining senior industry expertise, proprietary technology, workforce enablement, and embedded operational support.
1. Asset & Operations Diagnostic (Advisory)
Thco conducted a rapid diagnostic across asset management, maintenance planning, network operations, and back-office support functions to identify:
Cost leakage and inefficiencies
Downtime drivers and reliability risks
Gaps in data availability and decision support
Workforce capability and succession risks
This resulted in a prioritized execution roadmap focused on cost reduction, asset reliability, and operational resilience.
2. Digital Operations & Asset Analytics (Technology)
Thco redesigned operational workflows and introduced proprietary technology analytics to improve asset and network performance.
Key initiatives included:
Predictive maintenance and failure-risk analytics
Integrated asset, operations, and financial data streams
Automation of reporting and regulatory documentation
Real-time dashboards for operational and executive leadership
This shifted operations from reactive response to predictive control.
3. Workforce Transition & Adoption (Academy)
To ensure sustained impact, Thco delivered targeted workforce programs focused on:
Digital operations and analytics literacy
Ownership of redesigned maintenance and operations workflows
Knowledge transfer from experienced personnel to new teams
Human-in-the-loop governance for automated decision systems
This improved adoption and reduced dependency on a shrinking pool of senior specialists
4. Embedded Operations & Shared Services (Operate)
Thco assumed responsibility for selected operational support and shared services functions, applying standardized execution, performance tracking, and continuous optimization.
This reduced cost variability and ensured consistent execution across assets and business units.
The result
Within nine months, the organization achieved measurable improvements across cost, reliability, and competitive positioning.
Financial & Cost Impact
33% reduction in operating costs across targeted assets and functions
Improved cost predictability and budget control
Asset Performance & Reliability
21% improvement in asset utilization
45% reduction in unplanned downtime
Improved maintenance planning and execution
Market Position & Brand Strength
12% increase in competitive positioning across priority markets
Improved reputation for reliability, operational discipline, and delivery
Operational Efficiency
60% faster operational decision-making
Improved coordination across operations, maintenance, and finance
Clear accountability embedded across asset management workflows
Why This Worked
This engagement succeeded because Thco treated operations as an integrated system, not a collection of assets.
Strategy, technology, workforce, and operations were aligned
Proprietary technology was applied to improve reliability, not introduce risk
Workforce capability was upgraded alongside systems
Execution discipline was embedded into daily operations
The result was a more efficient, resilient, and competitive operating model.
