STF On Track:

capacity up, costs per kg down and daily operations smoothly on track

Akzo Nobel sub-business unit Surfactants’ STF plant at Stenungsund (Sweden) produces a wide range of specialty and performance surfactants. Seeing a clear need to respond effectively to anticipated market push, Operations Manager Agneta Gerdner contacted ARV Group for assistance in removing operational bottlenecks and streamlining plant operation.
Because of favorable past experiences (including a successful project at the AN Surfactants plant in Chicago, USA), ARV was invited to present a plan. A business case – aimed at lowest-cost operations and implementing best-for-business solutions, and accompanied by focused investments in hardware – was presented and approved. This cleared the way for implementation of the STF On Track project, based on "quick wins" in order to achieve greater capacity in the short term. After that, Stenungsund's own Master Plan could kick in, supported by ARV.

Key process owners

The implementation plan stressed the importance of achieving buy-in from the entire organization, particularly key process owners in the fields of production, planning, technology and program management. This to safeguard swift & sustainable improvement of proposed cross-functional operational improvements directed to improve productivity, scheduling and flow and to gain approval for flow-enabling investments and usage.

This buy-in of the entire plant organization together with a focused HR development program formed the key enablers for the subsequent implementation. In the field of logistics and planning, greater clarity in the planning methodology has been achieved, along with a streamlined database to allow faster planning and stimulate flow in the plant. Technological adaptations, particularly more streamlined automation and adaptation of the reactor-temperature control have been reinforced by means of changes in the supply conduits in the plant and additional tanks. And a performance management system has been introduced to support plant organization to steer it’s operation effectively towards max productivity.

Costs down, capacity up

In this way output capacity was boosted with > 40%, fixed manufacturing costs per ton cut by 30%,and stock levels down by 10%, sustained by a performance management system firmly in place.

The finished project received an award from the SBU Surfactants. In its report, the jury said that "by working together in a responsible way you have identified and quantified ideas and suggestions with a focus on creating product-specific capacity. You have also created a healthy capacity margin to cover for flexible business scenarios in line with program objectives and delivered results accordingly. You have done all this and at the same time trained new colleagues, increased the level of automation and technical level in the STF unit".

Operations Manager Agneta Gerdner: "With the assistance of ARV Group, the On Track program not only helped us respond effectively to anticipated market developments, but did so on time, within budget and with all objectives met."