Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited (IEPL) has successfully completed its third Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) to give the plants and facilities a new lease of life for optimum operation. The TAM lasted for only 21 days (from 19th May) of serious overhauling of all components of the three major plants namely Olefins, Polyethylene and Polypropylene.
This is the 3rd TAM since Indorama acquired the then Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited in 2006. The first TAM was done from May to August 2006, while the second TAM was done in February 2010. Experts believe that this is a remarkable milestone that shows Indorama-EPL as a world-class organisation that thrives on maintenance culture.
TAM, according to experts, is a very essential engineering activity in the process industry. It is a scheduled, periodic shut-down (total or partial) of a process plant to perform maintenance,overhaul and repair operations.
Activities carried out during TAMs usually include inspection and testing, debottlenecking, revamps and catalyst regeneration, among others.
TAMs are important in order to maintain consistent productive capacity. All major process industries such as petrochemicals, refineries, power plants, manufacturing factories, etc, are obligated to engage in TAMs regularly so that operation will continue to run smoothly and safely, and conserve resources and protect the environment.
TAMs are very expensive ventures —in terms of lost production while the plant is on shut down and in terms of direct costs for the specialized labour, tools, heavy equipment and materials used to execute the project.
Managing Director of IEPL, Manish Mundra has expressed satisfaction and joy at the successful completion of the TAM. “I congratulate all the departments that were directly or indirectly involved in this successful TAM. I also congratulate all the contractors and their personnel who worked very hard toachieve this feat on record time of 21 days. I commend everyone,” Mr. Mundra said.
By consistently carrying out TAM as at when due, IEPL has clearly shown that it is a company with a very high culture of maintenance. It demonstrates that the company is committed to its corporate mission of supplying high quality polyethylene, polypropylene and other petrochemical products to over 200 plastic manufacturing companies who depend on it for raw materials.
Zebulon Agomuo
