What is one of the most important factors you think of when you are in the market for a new car? Sure, price is a key factor, and the make and model are important. Yet, most of us would agree, after price, we immediately think about the car’s safety rating – we want to know we and our loved ones will be safe in our new car. Next, we consider the car’s reliability – we need to be confident knowing we will not be left stranded on the highway in the middle of rush hour.
When machinery is involved, there is an undeniable inter-relationship between safety and reliability. Reliability drives safety and vice versa. We understand that if we want to keep ourselves safe, and our car running dependably, we need to follow the owner’s manual and conduct the necessary routine maintenance.
Just like our cars, our refinery operations depend on routine maintenance to keep running safely and reliably. Continuous, routine maintenance is performed daily. For example, the refinery’s Reliability Team monitors and inspects thousands of machinery components, including pumps and valves. Maintaining mechanical and electrical integrity is vital to ensure that critical process equipment is designed and installed correctly and is operated and maintained properly.
Since 2016, when the Torrance Refinery came under new ownership, significant improvements have been made to the plant’s electrical reliability. The Refinery’s electricity supplier has also made substantial improvements over time to the 66kV Electrical System that supplies power to the Refinery. And the refinery also made significant internal improvements to its electrical system, which included conducting component upgrades and improved maintenance processes.
Together, Torrance Refinery and its electrical provider improved their communication and collaboration to create effective processes that have resulted in the refinery’s electrical reliability being two times the industry average – that is an incredible success! This remarkable feat is a proud achievement for Reliability Department Manager Meir Snir. “We are proud of the strides we have been able to make, and will continue to make, through our collaborative external relationships. We have an excellent team of dedicated professionals whose focus is always on operating reliably to maintain safe and environmentally responsible operations,” said Snir.