Altona celebrates 60th anniversary

“Beyond these tangible things is something intangible – an atmosphere of friendliness that pervades the whole place.”

Article from ExxonMobil's employee magazine 'Connection'

The Altona Refinery is this year celebrating its 60th anniversary. The fact that the highlight of its celebrations is a massive lunch for the 350-strong refinery team is typical of the place. The heart and soul of the refinery has always been its people.

“There is an atmosphere all round the Altona Refinery that is significant,” wrote  journalist Brinsley Sheridan in Melbourne’s Argus newspaper in 1955. “The moment the outsider goes there he senses this comfortable atmosphere.

“The company does offer attractive amenities, but that is not the secret of it all.

“Beyond these tangible things is something in tangible – an atmosphere of friendliness that pervades the whole place.”

So it shouldn’t come as any surprise to learn that Heritage Victoria considers the refinery significant in part “for its associations with the development of the labour movement in Australia through the introduction of the concept of collective bargaining techniques, which were first used at this site”.

Author Susan Priestley, in Altona – A Long View, described how Californian company Braun Transworld introduced collective-bargaining techniques in 1953 after it was contracted to build the catalytic cracking unit.

“Braun succeeded in getting the plant built in a remarkable 22 months,” she said. The key to the success of team Altona has been open dialogue. Back in 1952 a process for  discussion between management and the workforce was established.

Today that process continues across all teams within the refinery, including communication through the Team Leader Forum once a month and the quarterly GM forum update meeting involving the entire workforce.

Signing of Memorandum of Understanding with unions in October 2008

Like any long-term relationships, the team at the refinery has had its ups and downs over the years, and this has been reflected in overall performance. The solution has always been to improve communications and achieve common understanding of the business challenges.

“The benefits of a consultative and engaging approach to conflict cannot be overstated, along with the importance of relationships built on a culture of trust,” said Refinery Human Resources Manager Steve Kingshott. “We have developed a great culture here with increased workforce understanding, involvement and engagement in the business. “

This has been further underpinned by our Memorandum of Understanding with key Unions /Stakeholders where in partnership we commit jointly to Altona’s success and future competitiveness. There’s a strong sense of personal pride and ownership, where our people really are our competitive advantage.”

In 2003 the refinery won a Victorian Government Workplace Excellence Award. The then Minister for Industrial Relations Rob Hulls said the award winners were champions of Victorian industry.

“They are models for how we see successful workplaces in our State – cooperative, innovative enterprises creating a future together,” he said.

In 1997 a major upgrade featuring a new Fluidised Catalytic Cracker enabled the refinery to operate more efficiently.

When the refinery first opened in 1949 it produced lubricating oils and bitumen. In 1950 it embarked on a major upgrade after recently discovered crude oil in Papua New Guinea became available as feedstock to make a wider range of products, including petrol.

Construction began in 1953, and increased the refinery’s output twelvefold, with the refinery able to produce almost 3.5 million litres. The centrepiece of the expansion was the Thermofor Catalytic Cracker.

In 1957 the refinery became the first company in Australia to produce aviation fuel, and further expansion occurred in the 1970s, to allow the refinery to process crude oil from the newly developed Bass Strait fields.

In 1997 a major upgrade featuring a new Fluidised Catalytic Cracker enabled the refinery to operate more efficiently.  

Groundbreaking ceremony to launch the Clean Fuels Venture in 2004

 In 2004, the refinery invested in the Clean Fuels Venture, to meet new fuels specifications. The innovative design of this initiative meant that the clean fuels upgrade was delivered at Altona for a fraction of the cost of similar facilities at other refineries.

ExxonMobil Australia and New Zealand Refining Manager Glenn Henson said the refinery team should be truly proud of its 60-year history. “We are a successful business which has carefully navigated the ups and downs of a tough refining industry to remain one of the most reliable, efficient and safe businesses in Australia,” he said.

“Today we take a ‘whole of Altona’ approach, with all the workforce, not just individual groups, together ‘Fuelling Victoria’. We continue to leverage the learnings from our past and build solid foundations for our future, a model that is shifting us from ‘Surviving to Thriving’.”   

Time and again the refinery team has delivered world-class performance.  

Despite its age Altona is a world leader in mechanical reliability, it won a National Maintenance Excellence Award three years in a row, and has pioneered world-firsts in advanced process control, operator training and alarm management systems.

“I believe that everyone associated with this refinery can be truly proud of what we have achieved and what we continue to achieve here in Altona,” said Glenn.

This business has been successful because of the effective engagement and support of government, contractors, past and current employees and community members.”