Better business results through flexible logistics operations

While there are refiners seeking third-party terminal services to reduce complexity in their organization and gain economies of scale, many refineries continue to operate their own site to augment their business. To be competitive and profitable, plant and offsite managers strive to reach Top Quartile performance. This goal requires improving operations to become as safe, efficient, and flexible as possible. For tank farms that also handle fuel blending before transporting final products, flexibility and agility are even more vital since blends are becoming increasingly complex due to ever-changing regulations and market demand. 

Safety first 
Whether working with crude oil, intermediary, or end-product tanks, tank farm personnel face similar challenges. First, they must ensure safety and maintain compliance with all regulatory requirements. Implementing advanced automation, predictive maintenance technology, and overfill protection can help them achieve these goals. Plus, tank farms that discontinue manual maintenance practices, especially in hazardous areas, will keep personnel safe by using wireless technology as the enabler to automate tank gauging, as well as pump and valve operations.

Of course, cost-effective flexibility can be challenging for a business that runs on fixed coordinates, assets, and related infrastructure. A fixed cost structure for maintaining hourly and salaried staff adds to this challenge.

However, by developing a flexibility roadmap that involves partnering and collaborating with key suppliers, many Top Quartile performers successfully implement automation and technology designed to improve agility and allow them to benefit from a large ROI.

Stop sacrificing profitability 
Many offsite managers are implementing sophisticated decision support software (DSS) to efficiently manage terminal scheduling in a dynamic environment. In addition, leaders want solutions for solving other challenges, such as customer transfer, logistical, inventory, safety, and environmental issues—while gaining a large return on investment—to achieve Top Quartile performance. After implementing Emerson’s terminal management solution and control system, Vopak—the world’s largest independent terminal company—gained substantial benefits, such as reduced project lead times, improved safety, and lowered costs.  

Reliability is also required for exceptional performance. Complex, stand-alone systems and manual processes can create islands of chaotic processes, resulting in last-minute, hectic maintenance practices due to a lack of predictability and asset performance insight. When personnel are unaware of when and which assets will fail or deliver poor performance, the terminal risks sacrificing revenue.

Working with Emerson experts to develop a conceptual site layout and engineering design, as well as implement an automation strategy with predictive technology and DSS, managers can minimize risk and costs for asset maintenance, while enhancing scheduling and profitability.