The Biggest Challenges Facing Terminals
Turnover, loss of experienced personnel, strict compliance requirements and the hazardous nature of products are just some of the challenges the industry faces.
Our customers have communicated two main sources of production losses that impact their bottom line and environmental and safety goals: incorrect line ups when moving products in the terminals and loading/unloading operations for truck, rail and ship/barge.
In the US alone, over 11,500 incidents occur annually during loading and unloading operations, with 47% attributed directly to human error. These errors frequently stem from high employee turnover, inconsistent skill levels across operators and contractors, and lack of standardized training.
What solution does your company provide? How does it work?
Voovio’s Digital SME ecosystem is an online platform designed for frontline workers in the process industry. It is a suite of Digital Tools that can be accessed on any device, which includes digital replicas (realistic digital copies of terminals, production units, loading racks, etc), procedure simulators so people can review and master SOPs and line-ups, and some field tools that support compliance and field execution goals including Operator Rounds, LOTO and Asset Inspection Checksheets.
The platform is built using the SME knowledge that is critical in running the assets safely and efficiently. You no longer need to worry about people leaving or retiring, because the SME know-how is preserved forever. Your onboarding, qualification and recertification programs are now increasingly system based. Customers include LBC Tank Terminals, Vopak, Linde, BASF, P66, and Chevron.
What problems does terminal digitalisation solve?
Every company in the process industry is experiencing a loss of expertise from retirements or general turnover. There are many manual operations in logistics. This is impacting the bottom line because of the time it takes to get new people up to speed and incidents that could be prevented with more knowledge of the job. The industry needs to transition its training and knowledge transfer programs from a people-dependent system to a system-based approach. We can’t expect terminals or production units to rely on just a few people with the knowledge of how to run everything correctly.
How can it improve safety/efficiency/sustainability?
Derisking the manual operations and maintenance activities by providing access to expertise and step-by-step instructions, anytime, anywhere, is key to increasing safety and sustainability. Having an online digital SME, with 24/7 availability, can transform the effectiveness of any human being who must perform manual tasks in the field. Your scarce SMEs will have a little more time to focus on other priorities.
What are the key barriers or challenges to digitalising a terminal?
It’s people. The culture of the terminal needs to be open to adopting new tools to help themselves. Thankfully, the younger generations moving into the industry are open to new ways of working and being molded into the job. Getting the SMEs’ buy-in is key to success, and that comes with involving them from the very beginning. Thankfully, for Voovio’s platform there is little effort involved from corporate IT teams but sometimes the approval process for new vendors or platform features can take longer than needed.
What should operators know about cybersecurity?
The weakest link in the system is the user. User training is key to enforcing any cyber security strategy. What we have seen across the industry, particularly companies with many assets, is often a lack of a coherent strategy and effective communication between teams. Some of the large chemical, refining and terminal companies might have thousands of software applications available to their operators and maintenance personnel. Many of them might be legacy (at risk of being outdated) and the IT teams may not have the resources to effectively manage or support many of them. Additionally, piloting new solutions may not go through the right IT approval process if the people implementing them are not aware of the correct process to follow.
Case Study: How Calumet transformed its loading operations
Challenge
With 180 carriers handling up to 1,500 truck loads monthly across two terminals, Calumet Montana Refining struggled with an aging workforce, high volumes of third-party drivers, and mounting pressure to improve safety while reducing administrative workload.
How Voovio helped
Calumet implemented Voovio to train and test driver competency before granting site access. The platform replaced traditional training methods with structured learning environments that simulated actual operations.
Results:
The impact was immediate and measurable:
- 75% reduction in operator/SME training time for new driver
- Reduction of incidents on the loading racks
- Successful onboarding of 10-20 new drivers monthly
- Improved driver feedback and issue recognition
As Operations Superintendent noted: “Incidents in loading and unloading are now an area we worry less about. Voovio makes our life easier and we have a new confidence in our drivers as a result.”
Ready to boost your loading and unloading operations? Contact us today to learn more!
