<p>The Indian sugar industry, despite its historical significance and large-scale operations, continues to face challenges in aligning performance with global productivity standards. This study examines the implementation of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) as a strategic tool to enhance operational efficiency in a cooperative sugar mill. OEE serves not merely as a mathematical metric but as a performance management framework that addresses speed losses, quality issues, and resource utilization. Through a disciplined case study, the research evaluates OEE’s impact across key workstations and integrates organizational enablers such as leadership, management commitment, culture, and policy. The findings confirm that OEE implementation leads to significant improvements in equipment performance and validates its broader applicability as a sustainable improvement strategy for the Indian sugar sector.</p>