Pipelines are increasingly important to business success as companies continue to penetrate frontier regions onshore and move into deeper and deeper waters offshore. As a result of a lack of transportation infrastructure in these areas, pipelines and associated pipeline facilities can be a significant capital investment. Similarly, although individual service station assets may consume a small amount of capital on their own, a company's annual budget for retailing can be considerable. Therefore, effectively managing the overall service station portfolio is essential.

The transportation of raw and refined products from production facilities—both onshore and offshore—to downstream processing plants and then to market for final distribution is a critical aspect of the exploration, refining, and chemicals industries. The projects in the distribution and retailing sector range from small lateral pipelines to intercontinental trunk lines and deepwater transportation systems, from adding a product storage tank to full large-scale terminals, and from service station modifications to greenfield retailing facilities. Whatever the size of the asset, transportation and marketing are the key links in getting the product to the end user.

IPA'S APPROACH TO PIPELINES, TERMINALS, AND SERVICE STATIONS

All of IPA's products and services are tailored for specific use for the pipeline, terminal, and service station industries. Through statistical modeling, we have identified indicators of success and failure in pipeline, terminal, and service station performance.

IPA's database of pipeline, terminal, and service station projects is constantly expanding. Today, this database contains more than 600 projects, representing all aspects of moving a product from an oil or gas field to market.

Not only is there diversity in the types of projects represented, but the database also includes a wide variety of project sizes, complexities, and locations. The extensive range of project characteristics found in this database allows IPA to fully analyze the drivers of successful performance in the installation and distribution and service station assets.

For more information, call Fred Biery (+1 703-726-5306).