March 25, 2015 by AP-Networks Leave a Comment After a day of exploring turnaround challenges from several different angles, the first day of TINC Europe 2015 has come to a close. Bayer MaterialScience is keeping a close eye on safety as they strive to improve their turnaround capabilities. Their overall goal is to reduce the capacity loss caused by turnarounds. Daniel Koch, VP, Head of Global Management for the company, stated that, “From today on, the change will continue, and in Europe, the size and complexity of turnarounds will increase.” Nathan Centofanti, Manager of Benchmarking for AP-Networks, looked at how Industry is performing on turnarounds events. His presentation, based on data from the AP-Networks Turnaround Database, revealed various performance trends, including the following highlights: Safety is the only outcome that shows continuous improvement. There is a large gap between top and bottom quartiles across all outcome metrics. Increased readiness drives superior outcomes. Dirk Schefer, Program Manager TAR 2017 Event for BP Lingen, explained how BP has acted to address a leading cause of turnaround failure: lack of effective integration between capital projects and turnarounds. Dirk’s position of Program Manager has been introduced in order to make sure that both projects and turnarounds proceed in accordance with BP’s Turnaround Common Process (TCP). Dirk also highlighted some of the integration activities already underway, and made it clear that effective change starts at the top of the organization. The key constraints and challenges for planning and executing Upstream Turnarounds (TARs) offshore in the North Sea were the subject of the presentation given by Alastair Bisset, Captain Turnaround Team Lead at Chevron Upstream Europe. Alastair not only discussed some of the challenges the current Industry climate puts on turnarounds, but also highlighted the additional challenges that go along with aging assets. For various categories (e.g., Planning, Personnel, Resources), he reviewed some of Chevron’s lessons learned with the audience, ultimately reaching the conclusion that “It starts with a strategy.” The closing presentation slot of the day was occupied by Bobby Vichich, VP of Turnaround Consulting Services for AP-Networks. In his presentation, Bobby drew upon Industry data and first-hand experience to discuss the importance of the Steering Team, and highlighted their ability to act as turnaround performance game changers. Bobby went on to outline the path to improvement and the leadership behaviours that are essential for effective steering. The first day of TINC Europe 2015 also included some fascinating discussions during the Breakout Sessions, and an introductory demonstration of NaviTrack. All conference participants are now getting ready for the evening program: a cruise through the wonderful canals of Amsterdam followed by dinner at the “REM Eiland Restaurant” (http://www.remeiland.com/), a former offshore platform and a historical icon in Dutch TV history. We are looking forward to Day 2 of TINC Europe 2015.