Shell entrusts SPIE with new, enlarged contract for comprehensive maintenance of its lube oil facility

Fri, Dec 4, 2020
By editor
4 MIN READ

Oil & Gas

THE Shell Company of Thailand has awarded a new and enlarged contract to SPIE Oil & Gas Services, a subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, to provide corrective maintenance services at its lube oil facility in Bangkok.

This contract award comes after Shell renewed its preventive maintenance contract with SPIE on the same lube oil facility, in June 2020. These two contracts demonstrate SPIE Oil & Gas Services’ ability to deliver high-quality midstream services – expertise that had been developed for the first time in Thailand and specifically for Shell’s lube oil facility in Bangkok.

From preventive to corrective maintenance: a step further towards productivity

Shell invited SPIE Oil & Gas Services to tender for their corrective maintenance contract following the high-quality work its team carried under a preventive maintenance contract at the same facility.

Signed in June 2016 and renewed for five years in June 2020, this initial contract consisted essentially in routines of preventive maintenance, regularly performed during ongoing operations on pieces of equipment to lessen the likelihood of their failing.

The year 2019 proved particularly successful for the team, with SPIE Oil & Gas Services Thailand achieving 100% preventive maintenance completion every month, and 100,000 man-hours without a lost-time incident (LTI).

The five-year corrective maintenance contract, which has been effective since July 2020, includes the provision of maintenance and repairs for all mechanical and electronical instruments at the lube oil blending facility in Bangkok.

The equipment concerned are tanks, pumps, conveyers, valves, safety systems and industrial printers. To maintain the facility’s productivity at its highest and avoid shortfalls of lube oil, corrective maintenance must be quick, efficient, and carefully scheduled. A key and challenging task, considering that operations on site run 24/7, with few exceptions being made when important repairs are needed.

These two contracts, awarded and renewed after a tender procedure, are important to SPIE Oil & Gas Services. “We are very proud of our success, as the service we offered to Shell at its blending lube oil factory in Bangkok was our first time delivering midstream services in Thailand.

Indeed, upstream maintenance, linked to exploration and production, is our main area of expertise there”, explains Steve Platten, Business & Operations Manager of SPIE Oil & Gas Services in South East Asia. These agreements have broadened SPIE Oil & Gas Services’ visibility and opportunities in South East Asia, and the company is looking into growing this model in the region. We have also just been invited to tender on a project with Shell to manage terminal operations across their 12 oil-blend assets in Thailand”, adds Steve Platten.

Efficiency gains enabled through an inclusive and innovative digital report platform

The preventive maintenance project also saw SPIE Oil & Gas Services Thailand’s first use of a digital application to perform all the preventive maintenance checks and reporting. Initiated and implemented by the multi-technical service provider, the digital platform has been a success and, upon Shell’s request, is being further developed. Three main benefits have arisen from its use.

Firstly, time saving: the reports are digitalized onto tablets which, unlike paper, are adapted to explosive zones. This enables the workers to carry and update their reports as they do their routine, instead of going back and forth to fill paper reports located in “safe” zones.

Secondly, anticipation and synchronization: the reports, plans and key performance indicators for the week and month are easily accessible to all on the tablets. Each morning, the team meets up and decides what its priorities for the day are. The reports being updated in real time, the decision-making process in the case of unplanned maintenance is also facilitated and quickened.

Finally, feedbacks and motivation boost: the platform has brought together the team via shared goals, accessible to all, and a stronger sense of each’s responsibility in the result. Furthermore, a feedback platform between staff and employee has been very beneficial to optimize work organisation.

Reliable partnership

The strong partnership between Shell and SPIE relies on high-quality performance, transparency and flexibility. “We thank Shell for entrusting us with these midstream maintenance contracts and look forward to growing our relationship in the future”, says Steve Platten.

In 2020, Shell had to reduce costs due to the pandemic’s impact on business globally. Through smooth negotiations with the client, a beneficial solution for both parties was found. “In this particularly difficult economic context, Shell’s renewed confidence in our ability to ensure the maintenance of its facility in a sustainable and cost-effective manner honours us”, concludes the business & operations manager.  

– Dec. 4, 2020 @ 17:29 GMT |

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