Solomon Associates has embarked on its 2010 refinery studies, including the Worldwide Fuels Refinery Performance Analysis (Fuels Study) and the Worldwide Paraffinic Lube Refinery Performance Analysis (Lube Study). The studies enable refineries to identify performance gaps as a basis for improving manufacturing processes and work practices.

“For 30 years, Solomon Associates has been the industry-standard resource for assessing refinery performance and helping refineries to improve operating efficiency,” said Dale Emanuel, president of Solomon Associates. “Our most recent studies in 2008 included 320 refineries representing 85 percent of global refining capacity, and we anticipate continued strong participation in 2010.”

The past two years have been challenging for the worldwide refining industry, with the economic downturn resulting in lower product demand. This has led to record-low capacity utilization and the closure of some refineries, said Bill Trout, manager of refining studies for Solomon Associates.

"Now more than ever, refineries need to assess their competitive position and find ways to improve efficiency,” Trout said. “Our studies are especially valuable to refineries during down cycles in the industry, as budgetary pressures demand clear identification and quantification of expense reduction and margin improvement opportunities.”

Solomon Associates’ data-driven approach to performance improvement is grounded in years of refining industry experience, the world’s most extensive industry database, and time-proven proprietary and patented methodologies. Study deliverables are applicable to all refineries, regardless of size, complexity or geographic location.

This year, Solomon Associates for the first time is offering study participants Data Collection Automation. Through this optional service, Solomon Associates identifies the locations of raw data within the enterprise, and then develops business rules to convert the data into the study requirements. Study participants can eliminate hundreds of hours of manual data collection, enabling them to focus on performance improvement rather than the data gathering process.

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