Keith Dillard - April 2018
KEITH DILLARD, VP of Operations, Transport Services, Onpoint
Plant turnarounds demand huge manpower from internal and external sources on a temporary basis. A ramped-up workforce is essential to successfully perform the extensive work to be carried out in a compressed time frame.
This cast of hundreds — often thousands — includes planners, managers, engineers, technicians, inspectors, contractors and suppliers. Two decades ago, when plants were generally smaller and controls were fewer, turnarounds were more manageable. They often called for 20-40 contractors, with no more than 500 contract workers on-site in a given shift. Designated drivers loaded up their co-workers in vans, trucks and buses and headed directly to their assigned units.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and we see the scope of turnaround work has scaled dramatically. Plant owners must allocate greater resources to maintain increasingly older units. Delays in scheduled maintenance call for more resources when that maintenance is finally performed. New units have been added to the scope, requiring additional resources. Since normal operations are already shutting down, capital improvements are often scheduled simultaneously, adding even greater complexity to site management and the escalating headcount. These new dynamics have led to a tremendous surge in turnaround headcount at most plants. A 200,000-bpd refinery can see its on-site staff numbers bulge from 500 during normal operations to 2,000 for a turnaround. Depending on the volume of the work and the window of opportunity available, up to a million man-hours may be required. Shifts today commonly run 10 hours, with a two-hour downtime on each side to allow for the flood of outgoing and incoming laborers.
As plant owner, you have two options for managing turnaround transportation: decentralized, which hands each contractor the responsibility of transporting their crews to and from their assigned units, and centralized, which relies on a single transportation provider to deliver that service for all turnaround workers.
Historically, owners have elected to leave transportation in the hands of their contractors. On the surface, the decentralized approach seems like a good idea. It lets each contractor focus on the unique needs and schedules of their labor pool. And when turnaround headcounts were significantly smaller, decentralized transportation didn't impede the flow of traffic on or off the plant site. On the flip side, decentralized transportation has fundamental flaws, particularly in large-scale turnarounds. Control over transportation billing is surrendered to dozens of contractors. The designated drivers, usually high-wage earners and unqualified as commercial drivers, are late to arrive and early to depart from their specialized work as they handle the menial task of navigating vehicle parking areas and retrieval of co-workers. And since workers can only ride in their designated van or bus, half-filled vehicles are the norm.
Centralized turnaround transportation eliminates decentralized deficiencies. It gives you greater predictability and control over transportation costs, which are neatly consolidated in one regular invoice. Centralized transportation also provides insurance coverage for the unthinkable. With the umbrella insurance coverage of a centralized transportation provider, any worker can board any shuttle bus. This eliminates the need to wait — on the owner's clock — for an entire crew to gather. And since buses can be filled to capacity, fewer vehicles can move the same number of workers. The drivers, who specialize in commercial transportation, are properly licensed, thoroughly trained and focused on the job at hand. Their buses are regularly maintained for reliable performance, and backup vehicles are staged on-site. Routes and parking lots are well-planned, following clear paths that improve traffic flow and promote pedestrian safety.
In stark contrast to today's highly sophisticated, safety-focused, productivity- driven turnarounds, the choice to use antiquated, decentralized worker transportation is rife with risks and inefficiencies. Don't put your turnaround workforce in jeopardy; consider the advantages of centralized workforce transportation.
For more information, contact Onpoint at (281) 461-9340, email sales@onpoint-us.com or visit www. Onpoint-us.com.
