300,000
Barrel Productions a day
Improving Refinery Performance to Deliver $62M in EBITDA and Achieve Top Quartile Operations
Industry: Oil & Gas, Sustainable Energy
Service: Industrial Strategy, Operating Model & Transformation
Service: Operational Excellence
Service: Operations Strategy and Transformation
Our Client
A large, complex U.S. refinery producing over 300,000 barrels per day, operating across multiple plants and supported by a large contractor workforce.
The Challenge
The refinery was underperforming across key operational metrics, ranking in the 4th quartile and struggling with fragmented operations, inefficient processes, and limited performance visibility. Coordination gaps and rigid ways of working prevented the organization from improving productivity and achieving competitive performance.
- 4th quartile performance across key operational metrics
- Limited coordination between Maintenance and Operations
- Inconsistent execution of work processes
- Weak use of KPIs and performance management systems
- Unstructured contractor management and high external spend
- Low field productivity and inefficient work execution
- Rigid scheduling processes limiting operational responsiveness
- High backlog and long work order cycle times
Real Results Achieved Together
The transformation rapidly improved operational discipline, productivity, and financial performance across the refinery.
$62M
Increase in annual EBITDA
44%
Productivity increase
49%
Reduction in work order cycle time
47%
Contractor cost reduction
Transformation Impact
- $62M increase in annual EBITDA
- 49% reduction in work order cycle time
- 32% reduction in routine backlog
- 47% reduction in contractor spend
- 44% increase in craftsmen field productivity
Our Approach
- Implemented standard work for planning, scheduling, and work execution processes
- Eliminated execution barriers through improved kitting, permitting, and self-service tools
- Deployed 5S across the refinery to enhance workplace organization and efficiency
- Introduced visual management and leader standard work to drive accountability
- Replaced rigid scheduling with a pull-based maintenance system
- Optimized contractor management to reduce reliance and improve cost efficiency
- Embedded Lean thinking to enable sustainable performance improvements
Related Services
Operations Strategy and Transformation
Helping organizations rethink how they create value. We strengthen performance, build resilience, and accelerate growth across every layer of your business.
"
Embedding Lean execution discipline is the foundation for transforming refinery performance and sustaining top quartile results.
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Facing Similar Challenges?
- Move from reactive to high-performance operations
- Increase productivity and reduce maintenance backlog
- Optimize contractor usage and reduce costs
- Embed Lean practices for sustainable impact
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