Engineering Process Improvement Projects

Nobody warns young engineers about this: The hardest projects of your career won’t be shiny greenfield megaprojects. They’ll be the aging, broken, undocumented brownfield assets you’re forced to keep alive. I learned this the hard way. Across gas plants, gathering stations, power systems, and control networks, the most painful—and meaningful—work I’ve done came from fixing things that were never designed to be fixed. 🔥 1. Modification Projects (MOC): The Silent Killers My biggest lesson came from the Associated Gas Recovery Plant modification. On paper: “Use surplus materials to reduce cost.” In reality: Metallurgy puzzles, flare capacity limits, control logic conflicts, and equipment that refused to behave like the datasheet. But we delivered: ✔ USD 10M capex saved ✔ 0.8 MMSCFD gas + 60 BOPD condensate recovered Nobody celebrates MOC wins. But MOC failures? They make headlines. How do we win it? Read this paper: https://lnkd.in/gdb4RD6n 🔥 2. Facility Upgrades: Surgery on a Living Plant Upgrading old facilities is like operating on someone who’s awake. Every cable matters. Every undocumented change from 20 years ago matters. My real upgrades: ✔ SCADA modernization + Operations Command Center (USD 2M → USD 14.7M value) Technical truth: Upgrades don’t fail because the design is wrong, they fail because the plant changed faster than the documentation. 🔥 3. Process Safety Improvements: The Work Nobody Sees Process safety in brownfield assets isn’t glamorous. It’s invisible—until the day it saves people’s lives. My contribution: ✔ 400+ hours of HAZOP, LOPA, FERA, SAFOP, facility siting ✔ Flare & relief adequacy checks ✔ Fixing legacy fire protection weaknesses These prevented failures that never happened and that’s exactly why people underestimate them. Here are some papers about how Process Safety helped keep brownfield safe and profitable: https://lnkd.in/gXmZ8HdS 💥 THE TRUTH NO ONE TELLS YOU Greenfield teaches engineering. Brownfield teaches character. It forces you to think under pressure. To make decisions with incomplete data. To respect aging systems. To fix problems you didn’t create, with resources you didn’t choose, on timelines you didn’t set. If you’ve survived brownfield work, you’re built differently. What’s the hardest brownfield problem YOU’VE ever faced? I want to learn from your pain. This is where the real engineers speak. We can discuss this in my upcoming class OILGAS.ID through lynk.id/OILGAS.ID #Rishare #OilandGasCareer #FuelingYourCareer

A junior reached out to me last week. One of our APIs was collapsing under 150 requests per second. Yes — only 150. He had tried everything: * Added an in-memory cache * Scaled the K8s pods * Increased CPU and memory Nothing worked. The API still couldn’t scale beyond 150 RPS. Latency? Upwards of 1 minute. 🤯 Brain = Blown. So I rolled up my sleeves and started digging; studied the code, the query patterns, and the call graphs. Turns out, the problem wasn’t hardware. It was design. It was a bulk API processing 70 requests per call. For every request: 1. Making multiple synchronous downstream calls 2. Hitting the DB repeatedly for the same data for every request 3. Using local caches (different for each of 15 pods!) So instead of adding more pods, we redesigned the flow: 1. Reduced 350 DB calls → 5 DB calls 2. Built a common context object shared across all requests 3. Shifted reads to dedicated read replicas 4. Moved from in-memory to Redis cache (shared across pods) Results: 1. 20× higher throughput — 3K QPS 2. 60× lower latency (~60s → 0.8s) 3. 50% lower infra cost (fewer pods, better design) The insight? 1. Most scalability issues aren’t infrastructure limits; they’re architectural inefficiencies disguised as capacity problems. 2. Scaling isn’t about throwing hardware at the problem. It’s about tightening data paths, minimizing redundancy, and respecting latency budgets. Before you spin up the next node, ask yourself: Is my architecture optimized enough to earn that node?

There's a gap between digital transformation and operational excellence. A gap that can be narrowed with a lean approach. For true operational excellence, we need technologies to work seamlessly across departments and functions. But...companies are investing and 'going digital' without fully aligning new technologies with existing systems, processes and people! So people are often spending more time figuring out how to use a new tool or duplicating efforts across disconnected systems 🤷♀️ Done right...a lean approach can provide a structured framework for integration that takes into account organizational culture and people.  Here's how it can help: 1️⃣ Sets clearer goals for the technology 💠 Lean thinking and tools help you figure out what problem the technology should solve and how it will make things better. 💠 Discussions about the technology involve the people doing the work so people feel involved from the start and are more likely to support the changes. 2️⃣ Improves processes before adding technology 💠 Lean thinking and tools encourages cleaning up messy or inefficient workflows first, so you don’t end up using technology to automate bad processes. 💠 Streamlining things first ensures the technology works smoothly and brings real improvements. 3️⃣ Builds a mindset for ongoing improvement (not once-off solutions) 💠 A Lean approach shapes a culture where change is the norm and people are always looking for ways to do things better. 💠 It encourages small, manageable changes and pilot programmes that build trust and confidence in new technologies. 4️⃣ Helps people adjusts to change 💠 A lean approach emphasizes people development, good communication and training so that everyone understands how to use new technology and why it’s helpful. 💠 Leadership development is part of a Lean approach (it is in my book anyway) so leaders are coached and trained to address concerns and enable smooth transitions. 5️⃣ Supports data management 💠 Advanced technologies produce a LOT of data, and a lean approach helps teams focus on what’s important and use that data to improve processes. 💠 People then feel empowered when they see how data can help them work smarter, not harder. 6️⃣ Standardizes how the technology is used 💠 A lean approach ensures new technology works across different teams and locations by standardizing how it’s used. 💠 It provides a framework for scaling up successful changes so the pace of change is not overwhelming for people. Basically...a #lean approach helps us to invest in technologies that can actually fix problems. It ensures that we involve people along the way and make work easier for everyone. Any thoughts on the topic? Leave your comments below 🙏

Manufacturing Efficiency is More Than Numbers…It’s Transformational Science that Delivers Value. In my experience of deploying continuous process improvement, I’ve seen one truth repeat itself: small changes in cycle time create massive changes in organizational success. Consider a real-world example from a Fortune 500 distribution center. The facility struggled with a 12-hour lead time from order receipt to shipping. When we applied Manufacturing Cycle Time (MCT) and Manufacturing Cycle Efficiency (MCE) analysis, the data revealed that only 35 percent of production time was true value-added work. The rest was waiting, unnecessary movement, or inefficient scheduling. Through Lean tools like value stream mapping, Kaizen events, and standard work design, we cut average lead time from 12 hours to 8 hours. That 4-hour reduction meant faster customer fulfillment, increased throughput capacity, and a remarkable financial impact, more than 3.2 million dollars in annualized savings through reduced overtime, lower inventory holding costs, and fewer expedited shipments. The return on investment went far beyond financials. Employees who once felt pressured by bottlenecks were now empowered to work in a smoother, more predictable system. Morale increased as they could focus on craftsmanship and problem-solving rather than firefighting. When people feel their contributions directly improve performance, you build a culture of ownership and innovation. I have led these transformations across industries, from aerospace to government services and the outcomes are consistent. The combination of measuring cycle efficiency and acting on it with Lean methods delivers scalable success. Organizations gain profitability, employees gain pride, and customers gain trust. Continuous improvement is not just about efficiency metrics. It is about unlocking hidden capacity, protecting margins, and most importantly, enabling people to thrive in environments designed for excellence. That is the real power of Lean.🔋

A very hard pill to swallow to quite a few organizations: Business Process Automation does not equal Business Process Improvement. These are two different disciplines, and automation may be one of the steps/tools in the overall process improvement initiative. But automating a process does not improve it by default. In fact, automation must be done after the process has already been reviewed and already improved. Otherwise, the automation initiative will most likely fail to achieve its goals because: 📌 It is more time-consuming to automate an inefficient process, meaning it will take longer to implement a solution 📌 The more effort needed means it is also more expensive, effectively leading to lower (if any) ROI 📌 Automating inefficient processes AS-IS results in inefficient solutions that run slower and require more support, effectively boosting the total cost of ownership exponentially To put it simply: 💩 in ➡️ 💩 out. A review of the process before attempting to automate might save lots of time and money, even if it means an extra step and some extra investment up front. It will most likely lead to a better solution design that will be easier (and thus cheaper) to implement and maintain. In some scenarios, it may even lead to a case where the process becomes so efficient that further automation isn't even needed. It has happened to us in the past on numerous occasions. It may seem counterproductive for me to tell my clients to not automate something, effectively losing the income we could have gained from delivering the solution. But what it actually lead to was happier clients that would keep coming back for more and eventually showing up with a process that both is efficient and actually makes sense to automate. So, whenever considering automation, make sure that you review and improve the process first, and then automate. Not the other way around. And if you don't know how to, find someone who can help you and does not simply suggest automating AS-IS (that's usually a huge red flag).

Want to drive your transformation through process? You'll need to establish a process capability to be the engine that drives this approach.   In my work as a consultant, I've seen many organizations pursue this strategy, create a Process Center of Excellence, and invest in a process tool, yet still struggle to deliver value. How do you avoid this fate?   The key to success is taking the time to create a well-thought-out strategy that aligns all stakeholders. The diagram below outlines the key components of a process playbook, categorized into the Why, the What, and the How.   Why are you adopting this approach? - Process Strategy: What is the value proposition? How will success be measured? Who are your key stakeholders and champions?   What will your process team be delivering? - Frameworks and Standards: What models will be created? What data will be integrated? What standards will you mandate? What are your quality routines? What methods are being employed? - Value Cases: What use cases will be enabled through your models? What behaviors are you changing throughout the organization?   How will you be delivering value? - People Model: What are the roles and responsibilities internal to your process capability and external for roles such as process owner? What routines are needed to maintain accuracy over time? - Tools: How will the tools help deliver on your value proposition? What are your requirements for implementation? - Training: How will you deliver training? What are your training personas and what do they need? - Delivery Planning: How will work be prioritized? What planning techniques are needed to have certainty in plans and dates communicated to stakeholders?     This strategic work requires time and thoughtful consideration to ensure success. Without it, teams often waste effort and money on unusable process models. Investing upfront will save headaches and enable you to deliver on your value proposition.   To learn more about building a process capability, check out my book 'Digital Transformation Success' https://a.co/d/0ebJwfAr

🔍 Have you ever wondered how some companies keep things running smoothly, even when challenges pop up? Here’s a little insight: They’re often using Lean principles, a set of practices focused on making things simpler, faster, and more effective by cutting out the clutter. But Lean is about more than just efficiency; it’s about connecting people with their work in meaningful ways. Take visual management as an example. It’s all about making information visible and accessible. Imagine Walking into an office and immediately seeing a Kanban board showing where each project stands or an “out-of-stock” card on an inventory shelf. These aren’t just clever tools—they make work easier to understand and create a sense of ownership and accountability. And the results? Employees feel empowered to make decisions on the spot, without waiting for formal reports or meetings. According to recent studies, visual management can increase task accuracy by up to 60% in workplaces that adopt it. Then there’s gemba, or what Toyota calls the “go-and-see” mindset. Instead of guessing what’s going on from an office, managers head to the shop floor. They observe, listen, and understand what’s happening right at the point of action. Toyota Motor Corporation leads the way here, with most of its supervisors spending time on the production floor daily. And it pays off—problems get resolved faster, and solutions are based on firsthand observations, not assumptions. Finally, Continuous improvement is at the heart of Lean. It’s the mindset of always looking for ways to do things better, even if only by a tiny bit. Every tweak, every little fix, adds up over time, ensuring that the company is always moving toward giving customers more value. In fact, companies that embrace continuous improvement report a 15-20% increase in productivity over time, as noted by the Lean Enterprise Institute. And here’s what often goes unnoticed: Lean only works because it values people. Real, day-to-day improvements come from the employees who are involved in the work and whose insights and ideas shape better processes. When people feel heard, productivity grows—by as much as 30% in companies with strong employee engagement practices. So, Next time you hear about Lean, think beyond the jargon. At its core, it’s about creating a work environment where people feel connected to their roles, confident in their abilities, and motivated to make a difference every day. That’s the real impact of Lean.

Ever feel like your team is stuck in an endless loop of manual data entry? (Automation Tip Tuesday 👇) That’s exactly where one of our clients — an education consulting firm — found themselves. They were juggling a whole tech stack of tools that didn’t “talk”  to each other, creating inefficiencies and double work. We started with a look into their sales workflow. 🔹 Sales data lived in HubSpot, but once a deal closed, someone had to manually update Asana to track project progress. 🔹 Internal teams worked from one Asana board, but clients needed visibility into their own project timelines — cue more manual updates. 🔹 With so much repetitive data entry, valuable time was being wasted on low-impact admin work. Here’s what we did: 🔗 HubSpot → Asana automation: We created an integration that auto-generates project tasks in Asana when a deal reaches a certain stage in HubSpot. No more copy-pasting! 📢 Internal and client boards sync: Internal progress updates in Asana now automatically reflect on client-facing Asana projects, reducing the back-and-forth. Less busywork, more productivity. By eliminating duplicate data entry, the team saved 10+ hours per week — time now spent on strategy and client success. When your tools work together, your team can focus on what really matters. Where is your team losing time? Drop a comment below! ⬇️ -- Hi, I’m Nathan Weill, a business process automation expert. ⚡️ These tips I share every Tuesday are drawn from real-world projects we've worked on with our clients at Flow Digital. We help businesses unlock the power of automation with customized solutions so they can run better, faster and smarter — and we can help you too! #automationtiptuesday  #automation #workflow #efficiency

📍Warehouse automation = a robotics conversation. 📦🤖 Penske Logistics is a strong example of how automation is moving into a more mature phase, where the focus is not only on deploying technology, but on improving the full process architecture behind warehouse operations. ⭐️ From a process improvement perspective, AMRs are the ideal tools for material-flow optimization tool. In a traditional warehouse, material flow often depends on people reacting to the next task, searching for inventory, moving carts, staging product, waiting for equipment, or responding to bottlenecks manually. AMRs help convert that environment into a more controlled flow system. The stronger model is not “robots replacing people.” The stronger model is: 🔹 WMS assigns the work 🔹 AMRs move material through the process 🔹 AI helps prioritize and optimize tasks 🔹 Visibility platforms monitor performance 🔹 Associates focus on exceptions, quality, problem solving, and continuous improvement That is where Penske’s automation efforts become interesting. Penske has been highlighting a broader technology stack that includes AMRs, robotic systems for warehouse picking and material handling, autonomous forklifts, drones for inventory and inspection, AI/ML, agentic AI, yard automation, ClearChain, and Supply Chain Insight. The process improvement opportunity sits at the intersection of all of these systems. 🤝🏻 An automotive example is Penske’s work with Ford Motor Company, where Penske served as lead logistics provider and applied Six Sigma methods to centralize inbound materials handling across Ford’s North American manufacturing network. The documented improvements included 10 Order Dispatch Centers, approximately 1,200 trailers moving through the ODC network per day, trucks running at about 95% capacity, a 15% reduction in plant inventory, supplier training, carrier performance measurement, and real-time visibility into delivery status and routing. The leadership layer matters. 🔹 Jeff Jackson, President of Penske Logistics, brings the operational lens. 🔹 Chirag Patel, Senior Vice President of Logistics Technology, is closely tied to logistics IT, ClearChain, and technology innovation. 🔹 Brad Liddie, Senior Vice President of Operations, is directly relevant to distribution center management. 🔹 Andrew Moses, Senior Vice President of Solutions and Sales Strategy, brings the engineering solutions and strategy perspective. Success factors: 📊 Process flow analysis 📊 Facility simulation 📊 Labor and MHE utilization studies 📊 Integration with WMS and yard systems 📊 KPI visibility 📊 Pilot testing 📊 ROI validation before scaling Warehouses will turn into adaptive systems, where people, robots, data, and process engineering work together around one goal: Better flow. Better visibility. Better execution. ⚙️ #WarehouseAutomation #SupplyChain #Robotics Timuçin Kip Note: all public info.

📘 Today’s Learning: Key Engineering Insights from a Process Design Guide As part of my continuous learning in process engineering, I reviewed a detailed Process Engineering Design Guide covering major equipment and system design considerations. Here are some of the strongest takeaways that every process engineer should know: ✅ 1. Line Sizing is More Than Just Velocity Good pipe sizing requires balancing: Pressure drop limits Erosion risk in multiphase flow Pump NPSH Noise and vibration ➡️ Proper line sizing protects both equipment and system stability. ✅ 2. Heat Exchanger Design Requires Smart Choices Key insights: Put high-pressure, corrosive, or fouling fluids on the tube side Apply 10–20% design margin for flexibility Choose TEMA configurations carefully Use downward flow in condensers to avoid slugging ➡️ Every design detail influences safety, performance, and operability. ✅ 3. Separator Design Is Critical for Plant Stability Important lessons: Correct internals selection improves phase separation Residence time affects performance Avoid slugging and entrainment Level control coordination is essential ➡️ A well-designed separator ensures smooth operation across the plant. ✅ 4. Pump Systems: NPSH Determines Success What matters most: Correct suction piping Controlled velocities Cavitation prevention Proper pressure margins ➡️ Most pump failures start at the design stage — not in the field. ✅ 5. Utilities Define Plant Reliability Utilities such as steam, cooling water, and instrument air must follow strict design criteria: Pressure drop limits Velocity control to prevent corrosion Correct sizing of steam headers Quality and reliability for instrument air ➡️ Utilities are the backbone of every process facility. ⭐ Final Thought This guide reinforces one truth: 👉 Process engineering is about understanding the “why,” not only the calculations. Continuous learning is essential to designing safer, more efficient, and more reliable systems. #ProcessEngineering #ChemicalEngineering #EngineeringDesign #OilAndGasIndustry #HeatExchangers #SeparatorDesign #PipingDesign #LineSizing #PlantOperations #ProcessSafety #EngineeringStandards #IndustrialEngineering #ContinuousLearning #EngineeringLife #TechnicalLearning #GraduateEngineer #EngineerInProgress #LinkedInLearning