Brett Woltjen, General Manager, Shell’s Norco Manufacturing Complex
For nearly a century, Shell has been an integral part of Louisiana and the Norco area, fulfilling an ongoing commitment to the economy, the culture and, most importantly, the quality of life.
Today, Shell’s Norco Manufacturing Complex is a fully integrated, world-class refinery and chemical plant. Brett Woltjen is the general manager of the complex and is responsible for managing all aspects of HS&E, operations and financial performance of the site, which sits on nearly 1,000 acres of land.
With more than 33 years of experience at five Shell refineries and chemical plants, Woltjen has held a variety of leadership and technical roles. Before joining Shell Norco as general manager in January 2016, Woltjen served as production manager at Shell’s Port Arthur, Texas, refinery. Prior to that, he held production manager positions at the Shell Deer Park, Texas, and Shell Puget Sound refineries.
“I also served as global HS&E general manager for all 35 Shell manufacturing sites,” Woltjen said. “Whether it was dealing with chemicals or refining, my career has included all sorts of positions in project engineering and plant operations, maintenance and turnaround management.”
Woltjen is a native of St. Louis, and before he started his career with Shell, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri. Fourteen years after he completed his undergraduate degree, Woltjen went back to school, attending night classes, and earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston.
However, Woltjen worked his first paying job at just 15 years old, cleaning stalls at a horse stable. “It was, shall we say, a motivating experience,” Woltjen remarked.
Today, Woltjen is a long way from mucking the horse stables. With a workforce of 1,100 Shell employees and support from more than 2,000 contractors, Shell Norco processes approximately 250,000 barrels of oil each day. According to Woltjen, in order to manage a complex of this size, one must have a passion for teamwork.
“We work in a complex and technically challenging industry, requiring diverse skills, knowledge, hardware and technology to come together,” Woltjen said. “Seamless integration must occur for us to provide products that make modern life possible.
“We ‘move people.’ What I mean by this is we make the products that transport people across great distances throughout their daily lives. This could not be achieved safely without a tremendous amount of teamwork and a commitment to safety, as well as being a good steward to the environment.”
With a workforce of 1,100 Shell employees and support from more than 2,000 contractors, Shell Norco processes approximately 250,000 barrels of oil each day.
Shell Norco’s history
In 1916, the New Orleans Refining Co. purchased 366 acres of sugar cane field from the Goodhope Plantation to establish a marine petroleum supply terminal. In 1920, the New Orleans Refining Co. began refining oil and in 1925, the town took on the name Norco. The Shell Petroleum Corp., a forerunner of Shell Oil Co., acquired the Norco Refinery in 1929, and the chemical plant was added in 1955.
“The refinery converts crude oil into automotive gasoline and other products, including ultra-low-sulfur diesel, Jet A aviation fuel, furnace oil and liquefied petroleum gases,” Woltjen said. “The chemicals produced at Shell Norco contribute to end products used in our daily lives, including antifreeze, cosmetic detergents, carpeting, paints and coatings, tires and latex.” Last year, the site celebrated its 90th anniversary. Today, Shell’s long and productive relationship with Norco and St. Charles Parish is stronger than ever.
“We aim to be here for another 90 years,” Woltjen said. “We know the site will change just like it has during the past 90 years. But I’m convinced with the collective talents of our workforce and the support from our community, we’ll remain a vital part of Shell in Louisiana and the U.S. energy infrastructure.”
Safety and operations
According to Woltjen, Shell Norco’s safety performance is among the leaders in the industry. In 2019, the site logged over 5 million safe work-hours without a recordable injury.
“We attribute this kind of success to our employees,” Woltjen said. “They recognize that to work safely and have a safe work environment is the ‘right and responsibility’ of every person who works here. Whether it’s a Shell employee or a contractor, everyone is part of our Norco family, and we all have a responsibility to do our part to ensure everyone goes home safely every day.”
Shell Norco is also currently investing more than $150 million to reduce the amount of sulfur in the gasoline it produces. This will reduce gasoline’s environmental impact.
“Going forward, we have an array of smaller investments that will total over $200 million per year,” Woltjen said. “These investments will help upgrade our facility. They’re important because our products are often seen as a commodity, with gasoline being priced less than a gallon of milk. This means we have to constantly strive to find new and innovative ways to improve our operation.”
Woltjen stated Shell Norco is always looking for ways to improve its efficiency while also being a good steward of the environment.
“These efficiency improvements can range from new technologies that reduce our own energy demand and associated carbon footprint to improvements in how we process hydrocarbons to produce cleaner-burning products at a lower cost,” he said.
According to Woltjen, fixed costs and capital investments are also major considerations when running a modern refinery and chemical plant. Shell Norco is using innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and digitalization to enhance efficiency at the site.
“It’s important to recognize that sites such as ours will continue to play a critical role in the future of energy for many years to come,” Woltjen explained. “The products we produce are essential in the current energy mix, which makes modern life possible and enables the type of development and investment it will take to change the energy mix.
“At Shell, we recognize that an energy transition is underway. For a site like ours, that means we play a pivotal role in enabling this transition through the products we produce. Shell has developed a set of possible future scenarios that look at the challenge of meeting future global energy needs. I highly recommend to all those interested in the future of energy — which will impact us all — to visit www.shell.com and look at our Energy Transition Report.”
Community
From the Lafon Performing Arts Center’s Shell Theatre to Partner in Education activities, endowment grants to building playgrounds, Shell Norco remains a viable community partner. Woltjen said Shell Norco looks forward to continuing enriching the community with volunteer services and by supporting education and the arts.
“A commitment to protect the community, employees and the environment is a primary consideration and concern in every Norco process,” Woltjen said. “No responsibility or task is recognized as completed unless precautions, procedures, and rules of safe operations have been followed. Norco pledges to maintain a safe working environment with compliance to local, regional and national regulations.”
Woltjen serves as chair of the API Operating Practices Committee, a member of API’s Refining Subcommittee, and board member of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association.
“Shell works closely with and aligns its legislative priorities and positions with allied trade and business groups,” Woltjen said. “For 2020, we expect there will be a focus on a variety of measures aimed at making the state more economically attractive to residents and businesses.”
Shell’s Norco Manufacturing Complex
15536 River Road
Norco, LA 70079
(504) 465-7111
www.shell.com
Employees: 1,100 Shell employees and more than 2,000 contractors
Products: gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, residual fuel, sulfur, liquefied petroleum gases, anode-grade coke, ethylene, propylene, butadiene and butylene
Size: approximately 1,000 acres
