Endress+Hauser Supplies 2,800 Flow and Level Instruments to Reficar Refinery in Colombia

Endress+Hauser, named the Main Instrument Vendor (MIV) by Refineria de Cartagena (Reficar) in Cartagena, Colombia, supplied more than 2,800 flow and level measurement devices to support a $3.8 billion refinery expansion and modernization project. The Reficar expansion project added twelve new process units, increasing refining capacity and production from 80 KBD to 165 KBD. The upgraded facility will produce ultra-low sulfur gasoline and diesel from heavy crude oil slate.

Because of the large scale of the project, Reficar wanted a MIV with a global presence, project execution capabilities, and the skills needed to handle this huge expansion and modernization project. Reficar was also in search of a global partner that could easily meet their wide range of measurement technology needs and act as a single source supplier.

As the MIV, Endress+Hauser was able to:

• Perform sizing and selection of Endress+Hauser and third-party instrumentation
• Produce and manage all technical, commercial and logistics documentation
• Coordinate all inspections, calibrations and logistics-related activities

Colsein Ltda, Endress+Hauser’s local partner in Colombia, provided additional support to Reficar through local training, calibration services and site supervision during installation, commissioning and startup.

Colsein Ltda delivered a series of training programs to Reficar using an Endress+Hauser PTU® (Process Training Unit) located in Tocancipa, Cundinamarca Colombia (approximately 16 miles north of Bogotá). The PTU is a full-scale working mini-process plant with on-line instrumentation and controls. The PTU allowed Reficar personnel to gain hands-on experience with the types of operations, diagnostics and troubleshooting used in the new and updated units.

Reficar shifted much of the logistics and invoicing responsibilities to Endress+Hauser by engaging the company as the MIV. All activities involving third-party technical inquiries and orders were routed through a single point of contact at Endress+Hauser. And by engaging Endress+Hauser as the MIV at an early stage in engineering, Reficar was able to include supplier features and part numbers in the initial version of the specification sheets, and ultimately reduce required engineering rework.

Overall, this resulted in significant cost savings and reduced engineering rework, time savings for Reficar’s procurement department, and a substantial reduction in the total number of purchase orders, quotations and invoices.

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