A refinery on the U.S. East Coast faced a critical maintenance turnaround at a time when every day offline carried heavy commercial and contractual consequences. Fragmented planning, unclear ownership of work packages and inconsistent contractor coordination created real risk that the shutdown would overrun and strain both safety standards and financial performance.

Tellen Advisors was asked to impose structure and precision on the entire event. The Tellen Advisors team began by rebuilding the turnaround scope from the ground up, validating each task, challenging legacy assumptions and aligning the final worklist with the refinery’s true risk profile. Procurement plans were integrated with the schedule so that specialized tools and materials were committed and staged in sequence with the work, rather than arriving in bulk with no practical link to execution.

Working closely with operations, and HSE leaders, Tellen Advisors established a single integrated control room for the turnaround, with clear decision rights, escalation paths and daily performance reviews. Contractor crews were reorganized around critical-path activities, and progress reporting shifted from high-level narratives to precise, field-verified metrics on work completion, permitting and inspection status.

As the shutdown progressed, the refinery maintained a stable, controlled pace of work, avoiding the late-stage chaos that often characterizes complex events. The site returned to service in a condition that reflected the investment: improved reliability, clearer maintenance standards and a repeatable playbook for future turnarounds that embedded the same level of discipline and accuracy that Tellen Advisors brings to every engagement.