Case Study
2 min read
As a global energy company shifted its focus in Europe from fuels to lubricants, one strategic project emerged that would be critical to the transition. The project’s success hinged on implementing a proprietary technology for hydrocracking—a catalytic refining process that uses hydrogen gas to convert crude oil into the process of making base oils—that would bring lubricant production into a refinery originally designed for fuel production.
But a seamless introduction of its novel design for hydrocracking was only the beginning of the challenge. The complexity and $1 billion+ scale of the project posed potential obstacles at a very small site with limited access. The refinery’s staff had no experience implementing high-profile projects that were pivotal for the company. There were also safety concerns in a region with higher injury rates than other parts of the world. Moreover, the refinery could not risk disruption to its longstanding base operations and on-going requirement to meet existing customer commitments.
Project leadership brought in JMW after a year and a half to help ensure high levels of performance and execution among four key stakeholders: the parent company, the refinery, the main onsite contractor, and a new lubricants marketing organization. The engagement was designed to do three things: strengthen the leadership needed to execute, secure a commitment from key leaders to demonstrate the behaviors required for project delivery, and assure that tight deadlines for high-value contracts would be met. The work began with an initial performance assessment, which included interviews with 30 members of the combined project leadership team representing key stakeholders.
Based on assessment findings and observations in the field, JMW conducted a series of workshops with key executives as project teams built out capacity pre-production. One notable outcome of this work was a pledge to “Best Ever” performance among teams project-wide throughout the commissioning and start-up phase. This clear, shared commitment served as the foundation for subsequent workshops and coaching sessions focused on performance principles central to achieving the project’s new and bold targets.
With construction underway, JMW next helped leadership with onsite performance, including better sequencing to prevent subcontractors from unintentionally interfering with each other’s efforts. Despite limited resources and site access, these real-time interventions helped teams agree on the processes that accelerated their progress. When construction began lagging, the partners worked together to create solutions that would be far less expensive than the cost of over-runs. Equipped with supply chain and warehouse analysis to help them realize greater efficiencies and faster recovery from setbacks, project teams were on track to operate their brand-new technology with unprecedented success.
As construction headed towards completion, the team’s newly adopted “Best Ever” mindset guided them into later stages of the project, carrying them through a successful handover and start-up of the adapted facilities. This included taking innovative steps to prepare operators for a new reality and certify them on the new plant and procedures. Stakeholders collaboratively secured new equipment, protecting it before commissioning and being clear about sub-system ownership. The shared journey experienced by stakeholders was fundamental to the cultural shift. JMW opened the door, the team went through it and capitalized on the opportunity.
Across all key performance indicators, the $1 billion+, four-and-a-half-year undertaking succeeded with results that included:
This site start-up’s success surpassed their previous track record of post-turnaround performance, which had been inconsistent. As a result, the deadline for shipping on-specification products into the supply chain for customers was met as planned.
All key stakeholders hailed the outcome as a transformative win. The results were amplified within the parent company when a sister project—in a different country without the support of JMW—was much less successful. In retrospect, the project-wide commitment to “Best Ever” performance was a turning point in the engagement, rallying disparate leaders and organizations behind a singular purpose. In their project journey together, individuals and teams from very different backgrounds and companies did the tough work required to deliver an industry-changing venture—with results far greater than they would have known with any singular success. Ultimately, the biggest transformation was the realization that collaboration yields better results, and adopting that mindset was the project’s biggest success.
“The project was heading towards an almost certain and predictable future of exceeding the schedule by approximately a year. … The reversal from an adversarial mindset to a collaborative approach wouldn't have been achieved without the contribution and support of JMW. … By improving the fundamental elements of collaboration, we ultimately managed to meet the predicted end date (just before a planned turnaround). JMW played a crucial role in achieving the project milestones as a result.”
-Executive Project Director
