Pipeline of safety and strategy: How Farmer steers LYB’s operations

"Embrace the feedback from others, in particular those closest to you — even if it is not comfortable," Ruan Farmer said.

"Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you, seek them out through regular dialogue with senior leaders. Determine where your organization is growing and get plugged in."

Farmer is the site manager for LyondellBasell’s Equistar Pipeline and is in charge of managing all aspects of operations, maintenance and integrity along the 1,500-mile underground network of liquid and gas transmission pipelines along the Texas Gulf Coast and in Louisiana.

Born and raised in South Africa, Farmer graduated from North-West University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and later returned to complete his MBA.

Following graduation, he immediately began his career in the petrochemical industry with Sasol as a production engineer during the startup of its low-density polyethylene (LDPE) manufacturing unit in Sasolburg, South Africa.

"I’ve always had a passion for problem solving and finding solutions to complex challenges," Farmer said.

This passion, along with his early experiences and successes with Sasol, are what led him to progress into more senior technical and operations roles as his career grew and developed. He later joined the LDPE project team responsible for the execution of the multibillion-dollar integrated chemicals project in Lake Charles, Louisiana — now known as the Louisiana Integrated Polyethylene JV, a 50/50 partnership between LYB and Sasol.

Farmer officially made the move to LYB in 2020 as operations manager for the JV and has been in his current role with pipeline operations for about 18 months.

Millennium and Occidental Chemical joined forces in 1997-98 to form a threeway petrochemicals and plastics JV called Equistar.

Equistar Pipeline, managed by the LYB subsidiary Equistar Chemicals LP, transports approximately 275 million b/yr (275 million of liquids) through its pipeline system. Products such as ethylene, polymergrade propylene, chemical-grade propylene, butadiene, benzene, pyrolysis gasoline, and propane all move through the pipelines.

Part of Farmer’s role is leveraging the pipeline network to safely transport feedstock such as condensates, diesel and natural gasoline produced and consumed by the company’s manufacturing sites to external customers.

Farmer said adapting the existing pipeline networks to transport alternative feedstocks aligns with the global shift toward renewable energy and supports LYB’s sustainability goals.

The company has structured its sustainability approach around three global challenges: ending plastic waste, taking climate action and supporting a thriving society. This approach shapes how LYB manages business and executes strategic objectives.

The company is evaluating the potential of transporting the high-quality feedstock generated from post-consumer plastic waste from the Houston refinery facility to the nearby Channelview site, where it is converted into olefins.

Farmer said fostering strong relationships across the entire value chain and communities surrounding LYB is imperative in his role, as the pipelines affect multiple stakeholders.

Throughout his career, Farmer has worked with diverse leaders and, in the process, learned there is "no magic formula for success."

"I would say the most profound feedback I’ve received was from my dad referencing the quote from John C. Maxwell, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,’ really resonated with me in my first years as a leader, Farmer said. "I soon realized how true this is and how important building relationships are if you want to succeed in anything."

Success in the O&G industry — or any highly complex and competitive field — rarely happens in isolation. Farmer said maintaining an upward trajectory requires a winning team and the satisfaction of influencing a group of people as they embrace tough challenges together. "It gives me a fist pump every time," he added.

Farmer’s insight about the importance of an effective team underscores how essential collaboration and collective effort are in driving performance and overcoming industry challenges.

One challenge Farmer has faced is striking a balance between optimizing operational costs and investing in new technologies or resources. LYB has shifted its focus not only to cost discipline but also to value generation for the company, stakeholders and customers.

"Embracing this entrepreneurial mindset has given us the opportunity to deliver on several initiatives, improving the way we operate our pipeline," he said.

However, above all else, safety is the main focus across LYB’s footprint. Farmer said people are at the heart of everything the company does, aiming for zero injuries — zero process safety incidents, zero product safety incidents, zero environmental incidents and zero plastic pellet loss to the environment. These standards apply to employees, contractors and suppliers performing work at all of LYB’s sites.

Despite being spread across the Texas Gulf Coast, the Equistar Pipeline team operates closely to ensure the safety and integrity of the pipeline system each day, Farmer remarked proudly.

In 2024, Equistar Pipeline achieved three major safety milestones, which Farmer said reflected the dedication and zero-incident mindset of all personnel and contractors within the company’s pipeline operations. In April 2024, it marked two years without a significant environmental incident, and in August 2024, three years without a major process safety incident.

The culmination of safety recognition for the pipeline group was last October when Equistar Pipeline was awarded the Dr. Sam Mannan Award by the Texas Chemistry Council for achieving a Zero Incident Rate and no Tier 1 or Tier 2 process safety incidents.

"These safety milestones are not just numbers; they reflect the personal ownership each of us takes to ensure everyone goes home safely every day," Farmer said.

To mark the achievements, pipeline teams from the surrounding Houston area to Corpus Christi participated in appreciation events, with teams and individual personnel receiving myriad forms of recognition.

Farmer said since the company’s pipelines cross into both residential and commercial neighborhoods, a primary engagement is to provide awareness about pipeline transportation safety to the community.

Employees from Equistar Pipeline recently made a presentation to the Channelview Community Advisory Panel — a group of local residents, business representatives, community leaders and other stakeholders who engage with area industrial facilities — with more than 35 members of the community in attendance.

"It was a fantastic opportunity to connect and engage with our neighbors," Farmer said. In order to educate the surrounding community and promote safe digging practices, the Equistar Pipeline team also works closely with nonprofit organizations like Texas811 to help prevent damage to underground utilities.

"Overall, the oil and gas industry is adopting advanced technologies like smart sensors, real-time monitoring systems and AI-driven analytics to enhance safety, efficiency and maintenance," Farmer said.

"My vision is to embrace these advanced technologies and continue to improve our capability to operate safely within our communities."

For more information, visit visit lyb.com.

Tags