Customer Success Story

Summary

As one of the world’s largest petroleum companies, with 22,000 employees in the United States, Shell Oil identified a need to improve efficiency in the way they schedule employees. Leveraging Shiftboard’s employee-scheduling software, Shell Oil experienced substantial cost savings through efficiency gains and became the first and only major petroleum manufacturer to have full API RP 7551 compliance across the entire organization

Challenge

With an outdated employee scheduling process and a team of dedicated schedulers using time-consuming and manual processes, Shell Oil identified a need for greater efficiency. Simple day-to-day tasks such as entering timesheets, selecting the right staff (based on seniority or certifications), communicating schedules, and visibility into high overtime costs were a constant challenge. They also have multiple refinery locations across the U.S., which are subject to different union policies and API RP 755 industry guidelines.

In addition, preventing workplace accidents due to employee fatigue was a concern, especially with companies being penalized up to $1M in fines and damages. After a previous implementation failed, Shell Oil realized how important complying with these rules was to their success.

Solution

Shell Oil requested proposals from 25 solution providers, including global consulting firms and Fortune 100 technology providers. Shiftboard’s software was ultimately selected because of its tailor-fit platform which automates the complexities of their scheduling requirements and provides the highest compliance and cost efficiency for employee scheduling. In addition, Shiftboard’s extensive work with other enterprise companies confirmed its deep experience in the space.

Results

In under a year, the Shiftboard platform was rolled out to nine Shell refineries across the United States. They currently manage ~5,000 employees using the software, with approximately $3 million a year in time and cost savings compared to their previous scheduling solution. With Shiftboard’s unique ability to automatically find the best candidate for overtime shifts, Shell can choose the right employee using either their rules, or the “shuffle” feature that re-allocates shifts to eliminate unnecessary overtime and reduce costs.

Whether it’s unique processes, multiple locations, or complex business rules, Shiftboard works with a company’s own way of doing business. This has allowed Shell Oil to be the first and only major petroleum manufacturer to have full API RP 755 compliance across the entire organization. Shell now automates United Steelworkers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and API RP 755 guidelines as well as site-specific rules, and provides audit reports for tracking compliance.