The Viva Energy Geelong Refinery is one of four refineries remaining in Australia. It supplies over 50% of Victoria’s and 10% of Australia’s fuel. The refinery is one of the few in the Southern Hemisphere that produce avgas, which is used by piston engine planes. The refinery also produces bitumen, and solvents used in mining, paint and adhesives, making it pivotal to the Mining, Oil and Gas Industry.

Unexpected equipment failure and breakdowns in refineries, especially of the grandeur of the Viva Energy Refinery, will result in a significant loss of production and profit due to an unplanned shutdown. This is why CBC North Geelong took it very seriously when Viva Energy’s Mechanical Engineer Peter Barry phoned in on a Saturday regarding two critical pump breakdowns. The pumps required bearing replacements urgently to keep the refinery’s operations going.

CBC’s Account Manager Brian Crouch took it upon himself to provide the 24/7 service that CBC are known for and secured the bearings for Viva Energy on the same day. He had contacted the main distribution center in Truganina and they had agreed to open up after hours so that Brian could collect the bearings.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery services, especially on short notice were not an option. Brian took it upon himself to drive a 220km round trip from the Truganina distribution centre to pick up the bearings and personally delivered them to the Viva Energy Geelong Refinery on the same day. He took all the necessary safety precautions such as going through Health and Safety checks and delivering the bearings to the security gate to abide by social distancing and site visiting rules during this time.

Not long after Brian left the Viva Energy Refinery, he received another phone call from Peter Barry to advise that they had a second pump breakdown. For this pump, the bearing stock was available at our CBC Geelong branch, so Brian collected these from the branch and again returned to the Viva site to drop the bearings off for a second time.

Because of the service that the CBC team provided, the Viva Energy Work Maintenance Crews were able to work through the night to repair the pumps with the new bearings, resulting in no down time or loss of production, which saved them $60K.

Brian said it is due to the “wonderful relationship that CBC has established with Viva Energy over the past 27 years. You feel proud that you are able to help and provide a solution to their problem to the best of your ability.”

Viva Energy’s Peter Barry was grateful for the service that CBC provided as they went above and beyond to assist in a critical time for the refinery. He said it was “extraordinary” that Brian provided such a service to them on a Saturday. “Brian is very hands on, to jump in his car and drive into Melbourne to get the part, bring it to us on site and then back out again when the second pump failed that same day. It’s like our very own CBC shop on hand. We are very thankful for their service and support their 24/7 operation.”

At CBC, we understand the importance of keeping our customers’ plant operating and preventing any unplanned shutdowns. Our teams are prepared to go above and beyond to provide reliable service to keep your plant operational. Our branches are stocked with critical parts and are ready to meet customer demand.

Contact us today and find out how we can assist your plant: https://www.industryinmotion.com.au/covid19/