term,” said Jacques.
“The situation created
external opportunities for some
workers whilst others have
embraced redeployment and
retraining,” said communication
co-ordinator, Rebecca Brimble.
Further
planned
investments
$49m is being invested into
the refinery as part of the
adaptation plan with $25m
to be invested in the coming
years to produce better
products. Modifications are
under study for execution by
2019/20 in the fluid catalytic
cracker and the hydro-treating
desulphurisation unit which
will enable more residue to be
cracked.
• Improved automation
of the Killingholme road
loading (KRL) facility
• New control room for the
offsite areas
• Preparation for the
2019 turnaround and
inspection to ensure it is
as successful as 2016
• Changes to two
main units – hydro-
desulpherisation unit
(HDS3) and the fluid
catalytic cracking unit
(FCCU) to make cleaner,
lighter fuels
“The changes to our HDS
unit would mean product will
be effectively sulphur free,”
said Andrew.
Serving the customer
Once the restructure was
underway, it was essential to
ensure product availability for
TLOR’s 120 contract and spot
customers. TLOR’s key metric
is to ensure a smooth supply of
product to its customers and in
January 2017, 100% availability
of the units was achieved.
Now more efficient and
ready to meet the increasing
demands of the inland market,
2017 is the year of the customer,
reports Jacques.
“Being smaller and here to
make better quality products is a
positive thing for our customers.
We encourage our customers to
visit the refinery so we can show
them what we do and how we
value their business.”
Business manager Elaine
Trocha believes the personal
touch is very important.
“The refinery tours are
popular – being here the
customer can join up the dots,
they meet the people that they
speak with on the phone which
fosters a better way of working.
Listening to the customer is very
important.”
To help TLOR improve in
the areas that matter most to
customers, a customer survey
will be carried out this year
to enhance the company’s
understanding of customers’
needs and expectations.
Run like a small business,
the refinery is now a business
unit working together in teams.
Working with the refinery the
commercial team is ready to meet
those customer needs.
“If there are any problems,
we can flex more easily and
try our very best to fix them,”
said Andy Ruffell-Ward, B2B
operations manager, among
whose responsibilities is looking
at different ways of pricing for
individual customers.
TLOR customers can also
take advantage of the technical
expertise provided by the
refinery’s onsite laboratory,
where refinery chemist Colin
Matthews is on hand to answer
customers’ queries and technical
problems.
TLOR has a good
infrastructure at the KRL terminal
and at the WOSL terminal
located at Kingsbury in the
Midlands. Thanks to a new
motorway infrastructure, KRL is
easily accessible from the A180
L-r – TLOR general manager Jacques Beucklelaers, supply operator Shaun
Walker, B2B operations manager Andy Ruffell-Ward, business manager Elaine
Trocha, commercial operations manager Andrew Quenet, valorisation & planning
manager Edmund Stobseth Brown and Fuel Oil News editor Jane Hughes
making TLOR now just minutes
from motorway connections. At
WOSL, which has a new terminal
automation system, loading
times were on average less than
28 minutes in 2016 and loading
times will be further improved at
KRL with the planned terminal
automation in Q4 2017.
“With around 350 tankers
coming through KRL everyday, our
aim is to have no queues,” said
Andrew.
Working safely with
confidence in the future
“Safety is the cornerstone of
operational excellence,” said
Jacques
Over the course of 2016 the
refinery achieved a very good
safety performance and with
just one more month to go when
Fuel Oil News visited, the team
was very hopeful of achieving its
target of one year completely
injury free.
TLOR was awarded the Total
Refining and Chemicals award
2016 in recognition of how much
it had improved.
“We’re fitter than before and
the changes made have created
a new mo mentum at the refinery
with employees keen to do a
better job than the day before.
“We’ve stopped the less
efficient units and reduced our
exposure on the worldwide
market – we’ve achieved what we
set out to do.”
Next month TLOR will be
at FPS EXPO in Liverpool with a
message that says we’re here to
stay.
“We have confidence in our
own strength and in the future.
We have the ingredients to
succeed and with my workforce
we’re determined that we can
do it!”
Change is always difficult but
there is a real spirit of optimism
at the Total Lindsey Oil Refinery –
find out more by visiting the TLOR
stand next month.
Fuel Oil News | April 2017 13