High-performing olefin plants must operate safely, optimize costs, and maximize utilization while continuously improving efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. In difficult economic years, only the plants that meet these requirements will survive and thrive in the highly competitive and dynamic petrochemical industry. The Worldwide Olefin Plant Performance Analysis (Olefin Study), conducted every 2 years by Solomon, provides the crucial first step in achieving this survival: performance measurement.

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Since its first Olefin Study in 1987, Solomon has seen participation in this study grow to include 122 olefin plants (approximately 70% of world capacity) in our most recent analysis for operating year 2007. As more and more companies apply an ever-expanding range of study results to their target-setting and performance-monitoring processes, the Olefin Study continues to provide olefin plant operators with the latest information about industry performance and trends to gauge their competitive position.

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In the 2007 study, the average amount of achievable annual margin improvement identified by our proprietary gap analysis was US $74 million per plant site.

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Understanding how your plant performs relative to the rest of the industry—including a detailed and quantified estimate of your plant’s performance improvement potential—is the main benefit you will derive from participating in the study. When acquisitions, plant closures, bankruptcies, and restructuring are the order of the day, it is vitally important to know where you stand against the competition and where you can improve.