Lessons learned: Plant leaders share new strategies for reliability and resiliency

Using lessons learned from Hurricane Gustav, BASF’s site in Geismar was able to maintain essential utility production during Hurricane Ida. Photo via NOAA

A number of unplanned events can impact a plant’s reliability and resiliency in south Louisiana. Material delays, inflationary pressures, hurricanes, high river levels, unprecedented winter weather and manpower shortages all bring their own unique challenges.

But what happens when they all occur in a year or two? Plant leaders in the most recent issue of 10/12 Industry Report say that perfectly describes 2020-21, as no amount of resiliency planning could have prepared them for the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented supply chain disruptions, a freak ice storm and the largest hurricanes to make landfall in the state’s history.

To provide a venue for sharing their own best practices during these tumultuous times, 10/12 Industry Report sat down with four area industry leaders to discuss their methods for ensuring reliability during unplanned events, as well as some of the lessons learned over the last 24 months. Read what they had to say.