Our client is a Fortune 500 agricultural cooperative with a strong presence in North American agronomical and energy markets. They were seeking a non-capital margin improvement project to quickly and sustainably reduce product quality giveaway. Over 26 weeks Trindent implemented 12 changes that reduced volatility giveaway by 77% and octane giveaway by 42%, improving margins by $13 M.
How we Made it Happen™
Planning and Optimization
- Implemented a process to adjust neat targets, planning buffers, and BOSS parameters using statistical quality control (SQC) and root cause analysis (RCA) inputs, reducing neat T50 targets and blend recipe costs by 3%.
- Installed class and seasonal specific octane and volatility blend laws, improving property prediction accuracy and increasing butane blending by 60%.
- Implemented a process to optimize and align constraints between LP and BOSS, reducing reformer severity by 1.5 octane and mitigating recipe giveaway.
- Developed a Tank Quality Estimator tool that integrates component tank and unit rundown sample results to generate real-time predicted component qualities, improving property estimation by 26% and reducing recipe variance by 3.8%.
- Implemented a site-specific blend optimization philosophy, allowing non-summer blends to leverage the entire volume horizon rather than instantaneous header property readings, reducing volatility giveaway by 0.2 psi.
Execution Excellence
- Established a standardized blend execution process and enhanced skillset of Board Operators by implementing site specific blend start-up and execution checklist, system tools to support blend adjustment decision making process, and training to upskill new Board Operators.
- Established a weekly cross-functional Blend Review Meeting with a RCA framework to comprehensively identify and historize causes of quality giveaway and develop a proactive approach to resolve underlying issues.
- Integrated an in-depth quality giveaway training into the onboarding process, showcasing cost of giveaway and methods to recapture product margin.
- Coached Board Operators from taking a hands-off approach to confidently making blend adjustments based on real-time data, reducing execution giveaway by 31%.
Measurement Accuracy
- Improved component quality accuracy by 33% by optimizing sampling and testing frequency of unit rundown and component tank samples.
- Maximized post-ethanol uplift by minimizing standard deviation of ethanol hand blend results to ± 0.18% by installation of a SQC chart to identify and correct out-of-control measurements.
- Improved measurement accuracy of components with low octane by up to 0.1 ON and reduced stress on lab knock engines through implementation of a process to blend an iso-octane mixture into the knock engine linear range.
- Installed a process to predict MON for rundown and component tank samples from sensitivity data to reduce daily workload for Lab Analysts by 35%.
"Working with Trindent has been a truly collaborative experience, bringing our team closer together and fostering cross-functional communication and cooperation. Their commitment to sustainability has made it easy to adopt new processes and tools, ensuring we can carry forward the improvements achieved during the project and continue building on them."