Taking the pain out of turnarounds [plant shutdown time minimisation using turnaround management specialists]

This article considers manufacturing companies´ annual shutdown or ´turnaround´ and how this can be minimized by employing specialists. Turnaround management specialists combine the skills of engineers and planners, who have a background in mechanical and electrical engineering, with those of cost and contract engineers, materials co-ordinators, health and safety specialists and quality assurance experts. This helps to correctly identify the tasks to be undertaken during a turnaround and in planning the time schedule required with much greater accuracy.