FIT Service Specialty: Improving Scheduling Procedures

To enable the refinery to maximize efficiency and profitability, FIT provides specialized consulting services. Successful refinery operation depends on effective planning and scheduling to provide a mechanism for the refinery to meet its material and financial commitments while ensuring a reliable, safe operating environment. In a well-run refinery, the planning and scheduling process is the key to the decision process, which starts with strategic and business planning and ends with production execution and performance analysis. Ineffective scheduling prevents many refineries from achieving their potential and, in today's economic climate, can mean the difference between survival and failure.

FIT provides a service whereby seasoned FIT scheduling professionals assist the client to evaluate overall capabilities, benchmarking the existing scheduling process for efficiency, effectiveness, and support of refinery operations. The FIT scheduling procedures improvement program also strives to guide the client in maximizing the benefits of modern scheduling systems, using mathematical programming, simulation and other technologies as appropriate. The program has a first and second step: an audit, where one of the key objectives is to identify areas for improvement in existing procedures, as well as to identify applications where the use of new technology and better modeling techniques will provide more reliable scheduling and more profitable refinery performance; and the second step, a mentored program for improvement. Some clients perform just the first step as an impartial means to validate areas for change, if internal resources are available to help facilitate required changes.

FIT Consultants empower the client by providing a comprehensive scheduling review and audit.

The planning process generates a plan designed to meet business needs; scheduling is concerned with translating that plan into operational requirements for actual implementation. The scheduling audit reviews the current scheduling process and evaluates how well it meets current and expected future operational needs. It covers the following specific topics:

• Expectations from the scheduling process.
• Sources, timing and reliability of scheduling input information.
• Data acquisition process.
• Scheduling software used.
• Distribution of the schedule.
• Schedule implementation.
• Schedule updates.

Expectations from the Scheduling Process

FIT consultants interview key operations personnel to define expectations from the scheduling process and determine how reliably those expectations are met. Of particular interest are blending, crude unit operation, operation of critical process units, oil movements and storage, and receipt and dispatch. The outcome of these interviews provides guidelines for the remaining work.

Sources, Timing and Reliability of Scheduling Information

The FIT consultants review the data used for scheduling to determine where, how and why it differs from planning data. They also determine the source of logistical data needed for scheduling but not for planning, and check timing and reliability of such data.

Data Acquisition Process

The FIT consultants review the processes by which data identified earlier flows from the sources into the scheduling system. Potential improvements to ensure timeliness and data integrity are identified. The consultants pay particular attention to the interface between planning and scheduling and mechanisms for data transfer and feedback.

Scheduling Software Used

The FIT consultants review the scheduling software and systems in use to ensure that they are capable of supporting refinery needs. The existing software is studied to determine how well it can meet the needs identified earlier, including appropriateness for the task, robustness, and ability to generate useful timely results. The consultants recommend software improvements, additions or enhancements when appropriate to improve the process.

Distribution of the Schedule

The consultants examine the timeliness of schedule results to ensure that all who need the schedules are receiving them in time to take appropriate action. Sometimes this part of the audit leads to changes in the scheduling process.

The consultants examine the process by which the schedule is disseminated. The schedule may consist of three types of information:

1. Narrative. The narrative summarizes the schedule and highlights any important findings. In particular, it emphasizes changes from the previous schedule, especially with respect to blending and process unit operations.
2. Premises. The scheduling premises comprise a set of notes describing expected arrivals, liftings and inventory situations. They should provide guidelines on how to respond if these conditions are not met.
3. Numbers. The heart of the schedule consists of numeric operational information. This material is used by process operations, blending, oil movements and storage, and receiving and dispatch personnel.

Schedules are rarely presented in the exact form described above, but the information content is required regardless of the manner of the presentation. The consultants review the means by which this information is relayed to the relevant individuals.

Schedule Implementation

The FIT consultants determine the processes by which schedules are implemented. This part of the audit is concerned with ensuring that systems and procedures are in place to enable the various users of the schedule to take appropriate action. Follow up procedures are reviewed and recommendations made for improvements.

Schedule Updates

The consultants review the processes by which schedules are updated. This activity is designed to ensure that systems and procedures are in place to enable schedulers and refinery operations to respond rapidly to unexpected occurrences and new opportunities.

From information gathered in the activities outlined above, the consultants:

1. Benchmark existing procedures, systems and models against industry peer practices. This benchmark provides a quantified measure of potential improvements in over twenty areas to insure that management and refinery customers are provided with the information that meets their needs.
2. Estimate the economic value of the proposed changes, based on information supplied by the refinery personnel and that obtained from existing plans. The value comes from better utilization of refinery resources to maximize the profit generated by the refinery.
3. Recommend further requirements for the future to maintain the standard of excellence achieved.

Audit results enable either the FIT planning professionals or client professionals to prepare a plan of continuous improvement, with economic benefits clearly defined at each step along the way.