What Makes a High-Performing Plant in Solomon's Olefins Studies?

Abstract: What Makes a High-Performing Plant in Solomon’s Olefin Studies?

Solomon Associates has conducted studies of the olefins manufacturing industry for nearly 25 years.  As part of those studies, Solomon identifies a group of the best-performing plants for every study in each of three feedstock categories—ethane, LPG, and liquid.  Solomon calls these plants High-Performing-Plants (HPPs), and they are selected because of high ranking in all major categories of plant performance.  Each participating plant’s performance is compared to the HPPs in the Olefin Study Gap Analysis, which identifies, quantifies, and prioritizes the amount of net cash margin gap in 26 categories of operating performance.

This paper will show the actual average performance level of the HPPs from the most recent Olefin Study conducted for operating year 2011.  It will also discuss the criteria that go into the selection of HPPs, including how the study data are used to rate these criteria.  The analysis will show some common characteristics of HPPs from the most recent Olefin Studies including plant age, size, level of integration, and level of advanced process control.  HPP performance in several operating areas such as energy, yields, utilization, reliability, and personnel will be compared to the study averages.  The paper will conclude with other observations about the HPPs and their performance over time.