Shutdowns are an integral part of industrial operations. Scheduled events where the entire process plant is taken offline for an extended period to perform specific maintenance tasks.
Shutdowns are expensive, both in terms of lost production while the plant is offline and in terms of the the resources required to execute the project. But they are both necessary and important. Planned shutdowns or as the oil industry calls it, ‘turnarounds’ help prepare operations for the future. Higher production, reduced risks and improved reliability levels.
The current pandemic has put the world economy in a shutdown mode. Health services are under tremendous pressure, unemployment rates are at its highest level and countries are piling up big debts.
This is also the time to take planned measures in preparation for the changes ahead. Strengthening healthcare, supporting industries, reinventing businesses and upskilling workforce. Once all this is over, world will be a completely different place and the steps we take now will decide how we cope up with it.