Use Benchmarking to Optimize Turnarounds
We all know the importance of getting shutdowns, turnarounds, and outrages completed on time and on budget. However, many factors known and unknown constantly arise to challenge anyone in one of these processes. However, the right plans, processes, data gathering, and technology can produce an effective plan to use benchmarking to optimize turnarounds.
What is Turnaround Benchmarking?
Benchmarking in turnarounds targets processes, roles, and other critical factors as determined by managers to develop important markers to meet or exceed. The processes are the resources your organization uses to create your products including power, workers, contractors, and equipment. The roles are used to determine everyone’s part in the turnaround, their goals, and the scheduled time and budget to meet those goals. Other factors can be anything from reducing power usage to meeting industry compliance regulations. In short, turnaround benchmarking is using previous turnaround metrics, measuring asset performance, researching changes and trends in key cost drivers, and using this all to improve the accuracy of future costs.
The Steps to Turnaround Benchmarking
There is no one size fits all formula, as each benchmark varies between work types, sectors, sites, and regions of the nation or even globe. However, this is a good starting point:
- Optimize the Scope – Minimize the scope of the turnaround whenever possible to keep it at manageable levels by eliminating the typical industry scope of what you are expected to do and focus on what you need to do. Many industries have developed tools to do so, often called risk based scope reviews RBSRs. In fact, some organizations report reducing their scope up to 30% when utilizing these tools.
- Develop an Ideal Model – Do your research, not just on your turnarounds, but on those of similar organizations that came before you. For example, The AP-Networks Turnaround Database has data on over 1,300 turnaround observations. It also covers turnarounds from 100 marquee companies across 400 sites. This includes turnaround information from gas, refining, chemical, onshore and offshore upstream, refineries, chemical processes, and power industries. You can get tons of information on items such as work hours, amount of funds used during the turnaround, and the interval between turnarounds. This information can be invaluable for determining courses of actions for your next turnaround.
- Utilize Technology – Even technology from a few years ago can be outdated. An upgrade or replacement may well be worth the cost. There are options for turnaround specific software that can help you scope, plan, estimate, and execute a turnaround. This software is designed to store information on other turnarounds to optimize outcomes while making the process as simple as possible. As another added benefit, this information can also be used in other major events, such as shutdowns and outages.
We at AMACS are experts at selecting proper trays, packings, and much more. Use our extensive knowledge to help you improve benchmarking to optimize your turnarounds in column internals for the present and future.