HollyFrontier: Operational excellence key to maintenance and reliability programs

While the O&G industry endures multiple challenges to meet energy consumption needs, operational excellence is a term that covers various viewpoints of success.

Whether increasing efficiency to strengthen profits or reducing nonproductive time to avoid stacking up expenses, maintenance and reliability prove critical in making operational excellence a reality. Still, unnecessary maintenance costs and unexpected system shutdowns derail the process of achieving this ideal workplace.

"Asset reliability is crucial to sustaining productivity and growth," said Roberto Molina, reliability and inspection manager with HollyFrontier.

According to Molina, equipment and system maintenance drives asset reliability. Ensuring reliability through diligent maintenance programs is a continuous journey achieved through a framework of work processes. However, before any plan can be implemented, clear goals must be established and the level of care each asset demands must be determined. Maintenance and reliability departments must identify critical and noncritical systems and equipment to verify the care level. This establishes how to allocate time and resources.

Molina indicated the need to design care plans and asset strategies that must be developed for different pieces of equipment. Participating as a panelist at the Petrochemical and Refining Summit by Marcus Evans in New Orleans, Molina noted, "We must adjust strategies as needed to meet objectives."

Many reliability programs gain success by weathering unexpected failures. While a loss might be difficult to accept, it can be avoided in the future if enough foresight is mustered to draw upon what went wrong and corrective actions developed, Molina said. He added that the specific personnel tasked with this job can lead the organization to future success.

"Learning organizations can identify failures, and once shared, companies can learn from the experience," Molina said. "We need to tear down barriers between departments and create a trust-based work environment."

The results produced from examining failures should be considered opportunities for improvement instead of tabooed career killers maligning personal reputations, Molina said. He pointed to the possibility of eliminating or reducing waste and variability as viable chances to improve reliability and achieve operational excellence. Reduction proves to be fundamental in eliminating potential failure points, he added.

With the adoption of learning from failure and asset designation, Molina reasoned that planning a strategy that includes standardization, drives success. Being reactive and subscribing to time-based maintenance protocols should be abandoned for proper planning and scheduling. Equipment should be standardized to accept one reliability program, and designed to meet the specific lifecycle philosophy.

"Companies should lead by example in implementing new reliability strategies," said Molina. "Data should always be measured for improvement."

Molina said that operational excellence is achievable but takes a commitment. Robust asset maintenance and reliability programs make it possible, but they must be adequately designed and implemented to drive success. The right staff must be trained to accept and administer new techniques.

"We, as engineers, tend to complicate things," Molina said. "We need to foster an environment where we develop young engineers."

The lifecycle of O&G assets, like plants and refineries, largely depends on contractors. Their services are recognized as crucial tasks required to keep these facilities functional. Molina also commented on the need to include contractors in training and implementing new maintenance and reliability strategies. They must be qualified to participate in these new programs with the purpose of continuing the journey of achieving operational excellence.