Case study: Shell-Nynas

Eastham Refinery, a Shell-Nynas joint venture, is the largest producer of bitumen in the UK. Due to the organisation only selling to its shareholders on an ex-works basis there are only 26 shift operational staff. With such a small organisation with a lean management structure the identification and provision of training for the operational group has always presented a challenge.

Eastham Refinery required a solution to their training needs that took into account the relatively small size of their operation and training budget. Classroom training had proven to be an expensive option, and difficult to implement due to its inflexible nature.

PSR licensed our generic packages to Eastham Refinery on an annual basis at a price that was extremely competitive with the cost of classroom training. Martin Gledhill, Operations Manager at Eastham Refinery, said:

The web based learning package developed by PSR has proven to be a great advantage to the company. It has allowed the operational staff to undergo extensive training in a wide range of topics covering the refining of crude oil and associated activities at a significantly lower price than conventional stand-alone classroom training.

The big advantage of the system is the flexibility of when the trainee undergoes training, with conventional training the trainee would have to attend work at a defined time when he is not due to cover the plant. Arranging such a time can be difficult due to holidays, sickness etc, whereas with the PSR system the trainee undertakes the training when he has some spare time during his shift.

In the December 2008 Manufacturing Controls Audit, conducted by Shell, the PSR system was mentioned as a ‘Notable Practice’. Notable practices are items that are defined as innovative and would benefit the organisation (Shell) if they were applied elsewhere.

Eastham Refinery renewed their license for a second year in 2009.