Operational Excellence Wins Again

Why Refining Fundamentals Matter More Than Ever 

As Part of the Boardroom Insights Series: North American Refining 2026/27, senior industry leaders from the NARTC Advisory Board shared perspectives on the operational priorities shaping refinery performance today. 

This article explores why reliability, process safety and operational discipline remain the foundation of long-term competitiveness in an increasingly volatile market. 

In an industry increasingly shaped by volatility and disruption, many refiners are reassessing what truly drives long-term performance. 

While digital transformation, diversification and new technologies continue to dominate industry conversations, leaders across the NARTC Advisory Board consistently returned to a simpler theme: the companies performing strongest today are those executing the fundamentals exceptionally well. 

Reliability, mechanical integrity, process safety and operational discipline remain the foundation of refinery resilience and competitiveness. 

“Companies outperforming in the current environment are those executing the “basics” exceptionally well “

While these priorities may lack the excitement compared to other transformation initiatives, they are the core of success. 

Board members emphasised that in today’s environment, operational discipline is one of the few levers within a company’s control. Running assets safely, reliably and efficiently not only protects margins but ensures readiness to capitalise on favourable market conditions. Avoiding unplanned downtime and “black swan” events is viewed as equally important as capturing upside. 

“Operational discipline is one of the few levers within a company’s control. “

However, from aging assets, varied site conditions and inconsistent workforce experience levels, executing the basics is becoming more complex.  

Some sites face infrastructure constraints, while others struggle with capability gaps as experienced operational leaders retire. Delivering consistent turnaround performance, on cost and schedule, remains a key challenge. 

At the same time, the definition of “basics” is evolving. Process safety now extends beyond traditional risks to include cybersecurity threats and other emerging vulnerabilities.  

As refining systems become more interconnected, resilience requires integrating people, processes, technology and data into structured, process‑centric management systems. 

Ultimately, the Board reinforced that transformation must be built on a stable foundation. Digitalisation, diversification and decarbonisation efforts will only deliver value if core operations are strong.  

“Transformation must be built on a stable foundation.” 

The priority is clear: focus on simple, repeatable improvements that deliver measurable gains and rebuild consistency across assets before pursuing more ambitious initiatives.  

Board members are open to meeting new partners throughout the value chain to improve process optimisation, safety and reliability at their sites.