The challenges associated with turnarounds and maintenance operations continue to drive innovative approaches to operations at all sites. One of the latest challenges is the need for sufficient craft personnel to complete maintenance, upgrades and specific site improvements. For the past several years, there have been multiple articles and approaches that address these challenges with varied approaches and fixes. The only real solution is to train personnel, partner with individual contractors, or develop a partnership with vendors or suppliers who can complete these projects safely and efficiently and meet both the budget and schedule constraints on-site.
Some facilities have resorted to paying a bonus to individual craft personnel who stay on-site to complete projects. This strategy can successfully maintain the craft personnel; however, it does not bring in the personnel to support a project. In some cases, craft labor is looking for a project that offers extended hours in order to make the maximum amount during the turnaround season. Offering additional pay to the individuals is a short-term option that can be effective. However, maintaining a crew on-site to support the turnaround does not guarantee the productivity or efficiency required to finish the project on time.
Another approach is to develop a plan that includes every possible work scope for the upcoming turnaround or maintenance scope. This approach attempts to lock in the maximum number of personnel that could be needed on-site. Many scopes are clearly defined, making it easy to assess the manpower and duration required. But how many turnarounds are completed with no emergent scope or challenges during the maintenance or project window? More than 80 percent of turnarounds do not meet their stated objectives from a schedule or cost perspective.
When a project scope is delayed or deferred as part of the overall business strategy or plan, it is accepted by all personnel on-site. At most sites there are many changes to scopes even after the scope lock period; this can be based on new inspections or business focus changes. There are many scopes that are cut prior to commencement or even during the turnaround. This can change the manpower needed. Having changes to the scope and site work is part of this industry, but having partners that work to support these changes is key to success.
Many facilities operate to maximize production to meet customer demand, but this means the demand cycle pushes many facilities to have turnarounds in the same window, which puts a strain on local contractors. When local resources are strained, some personnel end up mobilizing from outside the local area to support the work. It also requires the local contractor to stretch its capabilities to support multiple sites at once. When local resources are tapped out, there are other options for the site. Bringing in a lot of new people can increase the risk to the site, as these people are new to the industry. At one point everyone was new to the industry, but having more new than experienced personnel can challenge any organization.
Having a specialty contractor to support the specific project or scope is another very effective alternative. Utilizing a group that has resources not limited to a local site or region allows you to pull the best resources from across the country. A specialty contractor that supports multiple regions and facilities integrates best practices and helps drive improvement, bringing the best results for each project or scope. This group can take on critical path challenges, free up resources to support routine projects, and expedite project plans and scope changes. You would not bring them in to support routine maintenance, but if engaging them for general support activities will save even one day at the end of the turnaround, it is money well spent based on the gained revenue from the site.
There are many specialty contractors that state they have the resources and experience to support this type of work. Choosing the one that delivers superior quality and productivity at a reasonable cost can be a great benefit to any site’s overall maintenance and turnaround success.
For more information on BHI Energy | Specialty Services, contact Greg Whitaker at (281) 753-9080 or visit www.bhienergy.com.
