Abstract
This paper describes the development of a method to assess the level of implementation of best productivity practices in the petrochemical industry. The proposed methodology focuses on construction, maintenance activities, shutdowns, and turnarounds. Its novelty and importance are emphasized by the lack of productivity studies that target these types of projects. This article reports the research methodology steps including tool development and detailed case study assessments of projects in Singapore. The approach involved the verification of best productivity practices and the development of an assessment method designed to fit the characteristics of petrochemical projects. The assessment points out productivity practices with low implementation levels and provides recommendations to increase their usage. The results showed that the level of implementation of productivity practices in the petrochemical projects investigated was 68.42%, out of a maximum score of 100%. Practices related to Material Management and Equipment Logistics received the lowest scores and recommendations on how to bridge this productivity practice implementation gap were provided. The adoption of the Best Productivity Practices Implementation Index (BPPII) as a Productivity management tool will help the petrochemical plants to improve productivity in their projects and to be resilient during the pre-planning phase. This should also allow the petrochemical industry to attract more investments and remain competitive in order to be sustainable. The identification and analysis of practices related to maintenance activities, shutdowns, and turnarounds of petrochemical plants will significantly contribute to the body of knowledge on best productivity practice.
Highlights
Achieving improved labor productivity has become one of the key quests for several world economies
The findings of this study provide a baseline for the Singapore industry to benchmark their planning and implementation efforts, as well as to accelerate productivity
In the process of developing the tool with an additional thirteen elements, the research team took into account the relevant literature, as well as experts’ knowledge and experience to investigate the management practices affecting on-site productivity and to identify and to verify practices that can improve on-site productivity
Summary
Achieving improved labor productivity has become one of the key quests for several world economies. This is attributable to the fact that labor cost accounts for a significant portion (30–40%) of the total construction cost [1]. In the case of Singapore, the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) set a goal to achieve 2% to 3% annual productivity growth for the decade of 2010–2020 [3]. This could only be achieved by improving productivity in key drivers of the Singapore economy. The investments in Jurong Island alone exceeded 35 billion Singapore Dollars in 2014 [5]
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