Why shutdowns and turnarounds remain a high-stakes challenge
Industrial shutdowns and turnarounds are among the most complex, resource-intensive events in any plant or facility. They demand careful planning, precise execution, and flawless coordination across operations, maintenance, contractors, and HSE teams. Even a minor misstep can cascade into costly delays, safety incidents, or compliance gaps.
Despite this, many organizations still rely on paper-based playbooks, static PDFs, or disconnected spreadsheets to manage their critical shutdown and turnaround procedures. This creates serious risks:
- Procedures are hard to update and distribute.
- Technicians may use outdated steps or miss recent changes.
- Knowledge is siloed in the heads of a few experts.
- Training is inconsistent, especially for contract or temporary staff.
- Real-time progress tracking is limited or non-existent.
The result: higher safety risks, slower execution, more rework, and lost opportunities to learn from each event.
Why digitizing shutdown and turnaround playbooks matters now
The pressure on industrial operations continues to grow. Plants are running closer to capacity, regulatory scrutiny is rising, and the experienced workforce is aging. At the same time, the scale and complexity of shutdowns and turnarounds are increasing.
Decision makers are expected to:
- Minimize downtime and get assets back online quickly.
- Prove compliance to regulators and auditors.
- Ensure every technician, operator, and contractor follows the correct procedures, every time.
- Capture lessons learned and improve with each cycle.
Paper-based playbooks and traditional digital documents simply cannot keep up. They are hard to update, cumbersome to use in the field, and offer little visibility into real-time execution.
Mixed reality—combining augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI)—is changing this equation. By digitizing shutdown and turnaround playbooks with mixed reality, industrial leaders can drive measurable improvements in safety, productivity, and knowledge transfer.
How mixed reality transforms shutdown and turnaround playbooks
Mixed reality allows you to overlay digital information—such as step-by-step instructions, diagrams, checklists, and live data—directly onto the physical work environment, using AR headsets, tablets, or smart glasses. When combined with AI, these tools can adapt instructions in real time, validate steps, and capture data automatically.
Here's how AI and AR–guided work instructions help:
1. Digital work instructions, always current
- Procedures are authored and updated in a central platform.
- Updates are instantly available to every technician and operator, whether in the field or on the shop floor.
- Version control ensures everyone follows the latest steps, reducing the risk of error.
2. Visual guidance in the field
- AR SOPs display the exact step, diagram, or safety warning over the real equipment.
- Operators see what to do, where to do it, and how to do it—hands-free, even in PPE.
- Complex tasks (lockout/tagout, valve sequencing, confined space entry) are broken into clear, visual steps.
3. Real-time validation and data capture
- Technicians confirm completion of each step with voice commands, photos, or scanning barcodes.
- AI can flag missed steps or deviations, prompting immediate corrective action.
- All actions are logged for audit trails, compliance, and future improvement.
4. Remote support and collaboration
- Field teams can connect with experts via live video and AR annotation.
- Complex troubleshooting or last-minute changes are supported without waiting for an expert to arrive on site.
- Contractor onboarding and supervision are easier, safer, and more consistent.
5. Continuous improvement and knowledge retention
- Every shutdown or turnaround generates data: what worked, what didn't, and where delays or incidents occurred.
- AI analyzes this data to identify patterns and suggest improvements to playbooks.
- Institutional knowledge is preserved and shared, even as experienced staff retire or move on.
Concrete use cases: digitizing shutdown and turnaround playbooks
Scenario 1: Turnaround valve maintenance
A refinery schedules a critical turnaround involving hundreds of valves. The traditional playbook is a 200-page binder, with updates distributed via email. In the field, technicians rely on memory and handwritten notes.
With digital work instructions delivered through AR headsets:
- Each technician sees the correct valve, procedure, and sequence, visually overlaid on the asset.
- Steps are checked off in real time, with automatic photo documentation.
- Supervisors track progress in a central dashboard and intervene when deviations occur.
Result: Fewer errors, faster completion, and a complete digital record for compliance.
Scenario 2: Shutdown safety procedures and permit-to-work
A chemical plant's shutdown involves dozens of contractors, each with their own procedures. Ensuring everyone follows the correct lockout/tagout and confined space entry protocols is a constant challenge.
With AI and AR–guided work instructions:
- Every team accesses the same, up-to-date safety procedures on their smart devices.
- Critical checkpoints (gas testing, isolation points, PPE checks) are confirmed with photos and sensor data.
- HSE managers have real-time visibility into who has completed each step.
Result: Improved safety compliance, reduced risk of incidents, and simplified audit preparation.
Scenario 3: Contractor onboarding and training
During a major turnaround, hundreds of temporary contractors join the site. Traditional training is rushed and inconsistent.
With AR SOPs and digital work instructions:
- Contractors receive interactive, step-by-step onboarding—at the equipment, not in a classroom.
- Key procedures are demonstrated visually, and understanding is verified before work begins.
- Supervisors can identify gaps and provide targeted support.
Result: Faster onboarding, fewer errors, and more confident teams.
Results and proof: measurable impact of mixed reality for shutdowns
Organizations that have digitized their shutdown and turnaround playbooks with mixed reality report clear, quantifiable benefits:
- Reduced unplanned downtime: Digital instructions and real-time validation help teams complete tasks right the first time, minimizing rework and delays. For example, a major European oil and gas operator reported a 25% reduction in shutdown duration after implementing AR-guided SOPs (source: Accenture, 2022).
- Improved safety and compliance: Real-time verification and automated audit trails reduce the risk of missed steps and regulatory violations. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board highlights that procedural deviations remain a leading cause of process safety incidents—digital work instructions directly address this risk.
- Faster onboarding and knowledge transfer: New technicians become productive sooner, and experienced staff can easily share expertise, reducing the impact of retirements and turnover.
- Higher quality and consistency: Every procedure is followed exactly as intended, every time, regardless of who is performing the work.
Addressing real-world barriers: what to know before digitizing
Adopting mixed reality and digitizing shutdown playbooks does require careful planning and governance. Here are key points to address:
- Hardware selection: Choose AR devices that are durable, intrinsically safe (where required), and comfortable for all-day use.
- Content creation: Invest in capturing expert knowledge and converting procedures into clear, visual digital instructions.
- Change management: Involve technicians and supervisors early, provide hands-on training, and show quick wins.
- Integration: Ensure digital work instructions connect with your existing EAM, CMMS, and permit-to-work systems.
- Data security: Protect sensitive operational data and comply with relevant regulations.
ActARion works with industrial clients to assess readiness, pilot solutions, and scale up at a pace that fits operational realities.
What ActARion brings to your shutdown and turnaround digitization
ActARion specializes in helping industrial organizations digitize complex procedures and playbooks using AI and AR–guided work instructions. Our expertise covers:
- Mapping and digitizing existing shutdown and turnaround playbooks.
- Developing interactive AR SOPs for critical tasks and assets.
- Integrating digital work instructions with your maintenance, safety, and training systems.
- Supporting change management, from pilot to full rollout.
- Enabling continuous improvement through data analytics and lessons learned.
Our approach is grounded in industrial reality—focused on measurable results, workforce engagement, and operational safety.
Explore what digitizing shutdown and turnaround playbooks looks like in your organization
Digitizing your shutdown and turnaround playbooks with mixed reality can help your teams work safer, faster, and more consistently—even in the most demanding environments. To see how this could work in your facility, schedule an exploratory discovery call with an ActARion expert. This is a no-commitment conversation to identify opportunities, challenges, and practical next steps for your context.