Production efficiency is a key factor for oil & gas companies to have a good performance in a low oil prices environment, and planned shutdowns are events that impact crucially in this factor.

This technical paper objective is to explain how, starting from a point of high planned losses due to shutdowns bad performance (13%), the application during only one year of best practices compiled from oil & gas and other business experience is able to change things up to achieve an impressive outcome (3%).

Long term planning, meticulous preparation and efficient execution are achieved when best practices are applied with accountability, rigor and common sense.

Maintenance and Integrity shutdown plans compliance is also improved as they are considered inside a big picture that allows us to schedule them in the more efficient way to assure our HSE standards, and helped by some new technologies as the so called NII (Non-Intrusive Inspections).

Standards, procedures, deliverables, communication channels, materials control, organigrams… are the specific tools to be used and refed to implement the lessons we learn at the end of each shutdown.

Sharing regularly our experience with other operators is also a source of best practices and cross-pollination.

Maintaining this quality standard along the time and improving to the extent possible will drive us to excellence in the middle term. As our teams become more and more involved on this new method, they start to feel more comfortable and propose improvements, being more and more committed as they see good results arriving.

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