Asset Integrity & Reliability Services

BoilerRock is an independent consulting group that specializes in reliability and mechanical integrity improvements services to clients in the oil and gas industry.

Category: TAR

Invest & Learn- 2020

Posted by on in Asset Integrity, Condition Monitoring, Corrosion, Inspection, Learning, Maintenance, Process Safety Management, Reliability, TAR, TurnaroundsLeave a comment

2020 is has been quite a year so far and likely to end with continued change and uncertainty.  This will be a very different blog than normal – kind of like 2020!  As I travel to different sites doing mechanical integrity or TAR assessments, they are very similar in that everyone is extremely busy and very focused on the day to day work or approaching shutdown.  This is all excellent and required to meet the goals of the department, the plant, and the company.  However, we also must take the time to invest in yourself. 

We invest an extreme amount of time and effort into our jobs, but we must also take the time to focus on ourselves.  We need to invest in ourselves, our development, and our continuous learning.  In today’s internet world the ability to learn new things is right at our figure tips.  Having the company send you to a class or seminar is great but we do not need to wait for that opportunity, or it could be another 2020 when none of us are traveling anyway.  I spent a good portion of my free time in 2020 taking online training on several topics including- Cyclohexane production, Cathodic Protection refresher, and other industry related topic + a couple of personal items on Stock investing and the Golf swing.  My experience with online learning has been a very positive one and only expect this type of learning to continue to improve.  There are companies providing online learning of any number of process safety, corrosion, API standards and about any other industry related topic you would like to learn more about. 

We need to take a little time out of our busy weeks to invest in our own learning.  This is not easy with the demands of the job, but I’m very confident if you discuss your plan to spend a little time on the internet learning a new work skill with your Supervisor, they will likely be very supportive.

For most of us the Corporation is our paycheck, perceived security and in many cases the next promotion or pay increase.  However, we must always remember that if things get ugly financially with the corporation, you are on your own!  Please realize I am not saying that the corporation/company are a bad thing (I was able to enjoy a wonderful and fulfilling career with a good one), but we cannot ignore our own learning.  Have you ever worked with someone that was a know-it-all?  Pretty annoying in my opinion… I came across a quote recently that I would recommend for every organization, individual and company.  “We need to be a “Learn-it-all”, not a Know-it-all”

Actions to Take:

1)   What do I need to learn to improve?  At work/At home/My overall knowledge

2)   Schedule time for learning – small increments will work wonders, but make it happen!

3)   Be Positive and invest in yourself!

Want to Save your Company Money?

Posted by on in Asset Integrity, Maintenance, Reliability, TAR, TurnaroundsLeave a comment

In the big corporate world, there is always opportunities to become more efficient and save some money for your company. But in the oil and gas industry one of the largest expenses and the biggest maintenance expense is your turnaround/shutdown (TAR) work. Some companies have been focused on improving their TAR maintenance for years and have the costs/barrel operating cost to prove it. Others have not taken the required efforts to ensure TAR success and have left significant cost and risk reduction on the table. There are a number of ways to improve your TAR maintenance, but there is one simple trick you can use to insure you’re in a position to execute a successful TAR at your plant. What is this trick? Well its really not a trick or a secret, but too many facilities still don’t do TAR Readiness Assessments prior to their TAR to insure they are prepared.

When a TAR requires hundreds or even thousands of temporary employees to complete, even a day or two overrun on the planned TAR schedule can be in the millions of dollars of additional cost. What is a TAR readiness assessment and why should I use this tool? A TAR assessment uses highly experienced TAR management professionals to review your plant’s readiness throughout your organization. This will include your TAR Organization, Planning, Maintenance, Inspection, Operations, Projects, Safety, Technical Services, Warehouse, and Procurement organizations. Any weaknesses in any of these areas will lead to additional costs and potentially a poorly executed TAR.

TAR maintenance requires the entire organizations focus and preparation to be successful. The problem is that the entire organization has a duty to keep the plant running as efficiently and safely as possible on a day to day basis and finding the time and resources to focus on the approaching TAR can be difficult. A TAR assessment will help your organization to identify areas that need attention/gaps as well as bringing focus to the organization on the need for attention on an approaching TAR. When should I do a TAR assessment? An effective TAR assessment is best completed far enough in advance to a TAR to allow the identified gaps to be closed. Twelve months prior to the TAR is best for the initial assessment, with a follow-up assessment 3 to 6 months prior to the start date. Even if you’re getting close to your TAR start and have no done an assessment, its best to complete one even if it’s only to verify that you should consider delaying your TAR. A delayed TAR will cost you much less money than a poorly organized and executed TAR.

TAR assessments are best completed by resources outside of your plant. This allows for an outside, unbiased and objective assessment of your organization’s readiness. As a Plant Leadership Team or TAR Manager, the cost of a good TAR assessment plan for your plant is negligible compared to the benefits of identifying required actions that can be tracked to completion to insure a successful TAR. As a TAR professional/leader for a good portion of my career, I can guarantee there is no better way to get the attention and focus of an organization than a good TAR assessment. The action items generated will need to be tracked and corrected of course, but the cost savings and peace of mind that you are prepared for the biggest maintenance event of the year is priceless.