Turnaround Duration Study

What contributes to a top performing turnaround? Gain visibility and access the tools you need to enhance your turnaround performance.

Monetize your gaps, assess strengths, and identify opportunities to reduce turnaround time. Expand upon your most recent Solomon study results with an in-depth analysis of your turnaround duration compared against high-performing plants. Establish realistic and competitive duration targets for your next turnaround.

Our Worldwide Turnaround Duration Performance Analysis (Turnaround Duration Study) provides the tools to improve planning, the ability to execute and to budget turnarounds. It also highlights opportunities for performance improvement and helps you better manage the total length of downtime. Together this leads to improving time off from production and generating more profit for your facility. Learn where your turnaround performance excelled or fell short by comparing it to others in the industry.

Turnaroud Duration Study Invitation

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Previous study results highlighted the top 5 performers achieved 14 fewer turnaround days than average.

  • Do you understand the gaps for operational durations (startup and shutdown) as well as those for the mechanical execution phase?
  • Where is the biggest opportunity to drive improvement of overall turnaround duration?
  • At both a facility and a process unit level, do you know how you compare to top performers, and do you have a plan on how to achieve top turnaround performance?


We provide an objective comparison of turnaround durations in most recent turnaround of major process units, report key phases of turnaround durations in a consistent manner, gather data to understand shutdown and startup duration components to analyze non-mechanical downtime, segregate those units with critical path durations, compare durations as percent of standard, and finally to drive improvement opportunities of overall turnaround durations. Compared to top performers, do you know where you are, and do you have a plan on how to get there?

Figure 1. Overall Facility Turnaround Durations by Activity: An Example Deliverable of Your Facilities’ Performance Relative to the Population with a Breakdown per Shutdown Component.


The following major process units are included in the study: Alkylation Units, Aromatics (Five phases of shutdown for ASE only, all other aromatics units include total down days only), Atmospheric Crude Units, Delayed Cokers, Fluid Catalytic Crackers, Hydrocrackers, Hydrogen Generation, Hydrotreating Units, Isomerization, Lubes Processing, Olefin Steam Crackers, Other Cokers, Reformers, Sulfur Recovery Units, Tail Gas Recovery Units, Vacuum Units, and Visbreakers. (New process types added in 2023 Turnaround Duration Study. For the 2023 study year, the scope only includes total down days and not the 5 phases of shutdown.)

Why Participate?

  • Identify actionable performance gaps
  • Assess detailed competitive position
  • Establish performance improvement targets
  • Formulate improvement plans and programs
  • Prioritize improvement activities
  • Provide justifications for capital investment and staffing plans
  • Measure improvement activity progress
  • Demonstrate performance to joint-venture partners and financial institutions

Study Deliverables

Study participants receive the following:

  • Performance rankings on a global, regional, and peer group basis for all performance areas
  • Metrics and indicators for all peer groups for all performance areas including historical trends
  • A gap analysis versus global high-performing peers
  • An on-site presentation and discussion of study results

Study Scope

Understanding the practices of top performers gives specific insight to guide you on your reliability journey. The established metrics are:

  • Oil-Out to Preparation for Entry
  • Preparation of Entry to Start of Mechanical Repairs
  • Start of Mechanical Repair to Completion of Mechanical Repairs
  • Completion of Mechanical Repairs to Start of Oil-In
  • Oil-In to On-Spec from Unit
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Turnaround Duration Study a comparative performance analysis that uses proprietary data to provide participants with a comprehensive assessment of their turnaround duration compared against high performing plants. This benchmarking analysis uncovers key areas of underperformance to manage risks and set a challenging by achievable improvement plan for their next turnaround.

Yes, previous study results highlighted that the top five performers who participated in the study achieved 14 fewer turnaround days than average.

The study leverages data from the world’s largest database of global performance data and metrics for fuels, lubes, and olefins, including 54,000 turnarounds, to provide unique insights and maximize your return on investment.

The study includes the following major process units: Alkylation Units, Aromatics, Atmospheric Crude Units, Delayed Cokers, Fluid Catalytic Crackers, Hydrocrackers, Hydrogen Generation, Hydrotreating Units, Isomerization, Lubes Processing, Olefin Steam Crackers, Other Cokers, Reformers, Sulfur Recovery Units, Tail Gas Recovery Units, Vacuum Units and Visbreakers. (*New process types added in 2023 Turnaround Duration Study. For the 2023 study year, the scope only includes total down days and not the 5 phases of shutdown. **Five phases of shutdown for ASE only, all other aromatics units include total down days only.)

The Turnaround Duration Study results can be leveraged in many ways to improve performance and give you specific insight to guide you on your reliability journey. Leverage study results to monetize your gaps, assess strengths and weaknesses, manage risk, and set challenging but achievable improvement plans to reduce turnaround time.

GAIN ACTIONABLE INSIGHT

Learn How You Can Participate

Obtain a clear picture of your competitive position with data-driven, actionable insight. Make informed decisions and justify your strategies and improvement projects. The competitive bar is being raised as never before. Are your facilities keeping up? Participate in the Turnaround Duration Study to manage risks and set a challenging but achievable improvement plan for your next turnaround.

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Data Quality, Benchmarking Methodology

A Foundation for Effective Comparative Performance Analysis and Decision Support

We prioritize the integrity and confidentiality of participant-submitted data and rigorously review that data before benchmarking begins. Then, we employ our normalization process and benchmarking methodology to provide valuable and trusted peer group comparisons that deliver meaningful KPIs. Finally, our staff of senior consultants apply their deep industry experience to develop practical insight and recommendations to enable your success.

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