Transforming Tank Farm Maintenance: Driving $10M Savings with Cultural and Structural Change

Client Context

A major refinery’s tank farm was grappling with a range of systemic and cultural issues, including:

• Disconnected, siloed operational teams

• Widespread resistance to SAP-driven process updates

• Introduction of new maintenance metrics without alignment or training

• Gaps in both planning and reporting processes

Key Challenges

• Ineffective inspection programs led to frequent rework and elevated safety concerns

• Broader safety risks were evident across the refinery, pointing to a deeper cultural issue

• Resistance to organizational change was prevalent:

  • A deeply ingrained “we’ve always done it this way” mindset

  • Reluctance from middle management to embrace transformation

  • Strained partnerships due to a preference for legacy approach

Approach & Key Success Factors

EFESO collaborated closely with site leadership and frontline teams to uncover the underlying drivers of resistance and performance issues, and to deliver rapid, sustainable improvement:

• Launched cross-functional “Rapid Improvement Teams” and “Loss Elimination Boot Camps” to target priority issues

• Reorganized the reliability and maintenance functions into a fully integrated department, breaking down historical silos

• Conducted a critical equipment and systems analysis across the tank farm and supporting areas

• Introduced focused maintenance KPIs to provide teams with clear direction and accountability

• Established weekly and monthly dashboards linked to critical metrics, reviewed consistently during “Command Center” meetings

• Systematically reviewed and aggressively reduced the maintenance backlog

• Fostered a collaborative culture by removing organizational barriers and promoting shared ownership

Results

98%

PM compliance achieved​

90% 

Overall schedule compliance​

60%

Reduction in tank farm maintenance backlog​

80%

P1 reduction

$10M

OPEX reduction

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