PID controllers are widely used in many industries and provide acceptable performances with no specific requirement for mathematical knowledge of the plant. However, these controllers, which are tuned for one operating point, are based on the assumption that local linearity holds for the plant to be controlled. When considering operation over a range, the assumption on local linearity may become invalid, and it is at this juncture that the notion of bilinearisation is raised as providing a way forward. Application of a bilinear control strategy to a high-temperature industrial furnace is described and the results in terms of improved performance are presented.