Oil & Gas
SITUATION
Major Canadian crude oil producer needed to improve operator shift transitions, which lacked structure and coordination.
DRIVER GOAL
- Design and implement an optimized shift transition process to safely achieve maximum performance during the shift transition hour.
RESULT
- Increased truck productivity 26,000 hours.
- Increased productivity resulted in 21.3 million additional tons, 90% of lost tonnage.
Case Study
Optimize Operator Shift Transition
Issue
A major producer of crude oil from Canadian oil sands enlisted The Highland Group to analyze and improve its operator shift transitions, which lacked structure and coordination. Previous attempts to implement “hot-change” had failed to attain the desired results, negatively impacting equipment productivity by 29,000 hours annually.
Highland Approach
The Highland Group process began with a review and documentation of current practices and results. Then, the team designed the and implemented an optimized shift transition process, including removal of all non-value-added steps. Training was instrumental to ensuring understanding and sustainability of the new process.
Actions Taken
- Identified key roles and assisted client in staffing decisions.
- Provided training to key roles and coached on process management.
- Provided implementation support to each operations team until process was running smoothly.
- Coached operators, process owners and management on maintaining the successes and conducting periodic audits.
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