If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the value of resiliency, and petrochemical leaders have embraced that value with skill and aplomb. For turnaround leaders, that resiliency must be coupled with special attention to communication.
"We've pushed a couple [turnaround projects] into 2021 and another one all the way into 2022," said John Clark, turnaround specialist and project manager for INEOS. "Next year is going to be extremely challenging."
Clark said his organization is aiming to do turnarounds in March, April and May 2021, and then again in September and October 2021.
"Communication is absolutely going to be key to build that continuity with the contractors to get what we need from them, give them time to develop those resources and get them somewhere," Clark said in a panel discussion titled "Turnaround Planning and Execution in Unprecedented Times" at the Downstream Virtual Conference and Exhibition presented recently by Petrochemical Update (Reuters Events).
Joining Clark on the panel, Heith Robey, turnaround leader for Celanese, said his company routinely schedules turnaround contractors well in advance - as far as 12 to 18 months prior to the turnaround event - "but then we had to go shuffle everything," due to the pandemic.
Robey agreed with Clark about the need for seamless communication among all stakeholders.
"We don't just bring somebody in to do contract work for us. We develop a relationship with the contractor and with supervision we want," Robey said. "We start building our relationship and our trust from the getgo, understanding that contractors are in business to make money, same as we are. You need to understand how to build that relationship so it's a win-win for each side."
Meeting challenges
In Clark's estimation, "getting the planning right" is one of the major challenges to achieving a successful turnaround, though he was hesitant to identify a "No. 1" challenge.
"It's getting the scope and planning done, getting the contractors and communicating with the contractors, especially with what we're dealing with today," Clark said. "It's also working with site leadership on what their expectations are for keeping the contractors and our employees safe."
Robey said his organization's No. 1 challenge is centered around execution and adhering to continually shifting locally and federally mandated health requirements, particularly as they apply to personal protection among his on-site workforce.
"There is so much conflicting information out there," Robey said. "Most of the guys out in the field aren't sure what to believe, so most of them don't believe any of it.
"This is for their health and benefit. It's not only to protect them, but it's also to protect the people around them."
Robey said the "challenge of the future" is finding out how to most efficiently plan and schedule a turnaround while simultaneously allowing for the unknown element of "the COVID factor."
"How do we layer this in to protect us? If you would have asked me last year how many days of a turnaround were going to be impacted by COVID, I would have laughed and asked you, 'What's COVID?'" he said.
"Can I tell you where we are going to be 90 days from now and what impact COVID will have? I don't think anybody is in the position to say what will or won't be," Robey concluded. "It could be a scenario that burns itself out and goes away, or there could be two or three waves or whatever it is. These are going to be interesting times."