Neste expands use of Synergi Life

10 years with Synergi Life

Neste has used Synergi Life for 10 years, and is now expanding its use - taking the step up to a third module and integrating the software with in-house systems.

Neste is a major company in oil refining and renewable solutions, and is steadily improving its total recordable incident frequency (TRIF) numbers while using the Synergi Life software solution from DNV. Esa Rissanen, HSEQ specialist, has been working at Neste in Finland for more than 30 years, with a career spanning logistics, sales, operations and supply chain management. For the last 10 years he’s worked with health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ). He was part of the team that decided to purchase specialized software in 2006, to replace the in-house system that Neste had been using for some years. Neste needed a common system for incident handling that everybody in the company could use. With the old system, recording follow-up was done across the company in various places, making oversight difficult. Upgrading the system would be costly, as the system was tailor-made for Neste use. For the new system there were three software vendors in the running, and after seeing a demonstration of Synergi Life at a network meeting in Copenhagen, Neste chose Synergi Life.

“One of the main reasons why we chose it was because Synergi Life was a known and trusted name in the oil business,” says Rissanen. Years of experience means the team at Neste knows the benefits of the system very well. “Synergi Life is an integrated and systematic way to tackle safety and quality. It’s reliable, and that’s a very good thing,” he says. "We can see how the development is going, with quality and non-conformities. Synergi Life supports us so we can look systematically into problems and lessons learned. This is the case not only in production, but also in sales and supply."

Top QHSE software solution

“The most important benefit is that we now have a common language, a common system, one big database with devoted people to take care of it. The data used to be scattered in different departments, and then you had to combine reports to be able to show the big picture. But now you can use Synergi Life as a common database for everything,” says Rissanen. “It’s good for action follow-up. We can manage all different safety and quality issues, including preventive case types and follow-up of near-misses. It’s important also that the people using the reports can be sure that the data is correct.”

During the years the software has of course changed quite a bit, from a basic package to the comprehensive solution available today. “At the start we had only one module, the Incident Management module (incident management system), used for refineries and logistics. Now we’ve expanded to the entire corporation in all functions in Finland and abroad. We have implemented the Inspection and BBS Management module (bbs software) for preventive case types and now we are launching the Risk Management module (risk assessment software).

Tracking KPIs and TRI cases

Neste relies on Synergi Life to track its main key performance indicators and to follow the development of TRI injuries the total number of recordable injuries. The TRIF numbers of Neste are improving. Of the 5000 Neste employees, there are 3500 registered users. “It’s an open system, everybody can see all the material,” he says.

Synergi Life works well, and when there are issues the support team from DNV has been efficient in providing solutions. “We are quite satisfied,” says Rissanen. “We are now implementing a new module to follow process risk actions. We are using Synergi Life now in variable case types, not only for incidents. We have expanded the use of Synergi Life in preventive case types and now in procurement. We are also sending out questionnaires to people in our company in order to ask what enhancements they would like to see in the system.”

International Software Summit

Every year there is a DNV Synergi Life International Software Summit, where users share experiences, present case studies and best practice, and where they can learn both from each other and from the people behind the software. There are presentations showing the latest developments and also opportunities for customers to provide face-to-face feedback to the development team.

“It’s great to meet new colleagues and share experiences,” says Rissanen. “The network of users is very valuable. We find out what and how they are doing with Synergi Life, what the latest achievements are and what the newest things are. I was proud to show all that we are doing in Neste with Synergi Life,” he says.

Top reasons why we chose Synergi Life software:

A known and trusted software provider
Reliable system that can be expanded
Specifically involved in QHSE for the oil industry

This is what we gained:

Integrated system that everybody in the company uses
Systematic development of the software
Widespread use of Synergi Life and many clients means an active network

NESTE IN BRIEF

Neste is a pioneer in oil refining and renewable solutions, providing customers with premium-quality products for cleaner traffic and industrial products based on world-class research. Neste's sustainable operations have received recognition in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable companies, among others. Net sales for 2014 amounted to approximately EUR 15 billion, with shares listed on NASDAQ Helsinki. Cleaner traffic, energy and life are moved forward by about 5000 professionals.