Total's Lindsey cuts jobs to improve competitiveness and efficiency.

摘要

French major Total has announced that it plans to reduce the workforce at its 206,705-b/d Lindsey refinery in Killingholme, South Humberside, UK by 180 from 580 to 400. Consultations related to the layoffs that will take place over 90 days will began later in Feb., but the fall "adaptation plan" for the workforce reduction will not be completed until late-2016 or early-2017. The French energy major also announced that it will invest ￡33MM ($51 MM) to shut a CDU and associated operations at facility to reduce capacity by 50%. The reduction in capacity is being driven by continued overcapacity in the European refining sector coupled with increasing competition from refined product imports from Asia, the Middle East, and US. The company did add that it plans to invest an additional ￡150MM ($232MM) in the plant over the next five years for turnaround maintenance work and other improvements designed to enhance the efficiency of the refinery moving forward. According to Lindsey General Manager Jacques Beuckelaers, "Modernization programs at Lindsey have yielded encouraging results over the last years. These efforts will be further consolidated by streamlining the refinery's production capacity and organization. With our solid industrial capabilities and our professional and dedicated teams, we will adapt the refinery to ensure its future: Lindsey Oil Refinery will be a smaller, but a higher converting and more profitable refinery."