Many refiners attempt to close the GAP between plan and actual by conducting a look-back analysis that focuses on model accuracy as the primary cause of the GAP.  These processes are slow, expensive and only address one source of the GAP.  [MTN]'s products monetize the current GAP in real time and support an added business process which allows the refinery operating team to take operational action on a daily, or more frequent basis, to close the economic GAP.  In addition, the data stored by these applications can be used to pinpoint the areas of weakness in the planning models and focus resources on those areas to improve the models.  These tools are easily implemented, sustainable by refinery personnel without adding headcount, and will generate at least $0.25/Bbl feedstock almost immediately.  Payback is less than 7 days of operation.  Our products complement our clients existing planning, scheduling and control applications.  In addition, we facilitate and automate the collaborative workprocesses of the planning, scheduling, control and operations groups of an oil refinery to improve plant profit.  Our products will:

• close the GAP between planned and actual profit;
• improve the efficiency of the collaborative work processes;
• improve focus on operational excellence through real-time performance measurement;
• provide historical data that allows identification of the source of planning and scheduling model errors; and
• provide historical performance data to support decision processes to prioritize and justify expenditure on equipment, maintenance, and performance improvement software.

Over the past 50 years oil refiners and petrochemical producers have invested large sums of money and effort on software, hardware and employee training for optimizing their operations to increase profit.  In particular, sophisticated optimizing software and applications have been deployed for planning and scheduling,  and process control and optimization.  Due to the complexity of each of these business activities the technologies and their use have evolved in a somewhat siloed manner resulting in some inconsistencies in the models and goals of the planning, scheduling, control and process engineering functions.   In order to maximize profitability many refiners are seeking ways to integrate the operation of these powerful technologies.  [MTN] is first to market with integration tools that work with all commercial planning, scheduling, control, and historian systems.