Case Study: One Plan Provides Different Coatings Solutions For Oil Company's Tanks

More than 1,200 petroleum product tanks are spread out on 88 Marathon Ashland light product and asphalt terminals throughout the United States.

While the tanks may appear similar at a glance, in truth, they are as different as 1,200 snowflakes. Most were built at different times and were originally coated with different products. They've weathered different environments, and have undergone local coatings maintenance with varying degrees of diligence.

So when Marathon Ashland corrosion specialist Tim Blair, purchasing agent Brad Wietholter and accountant Julye Reneau were charged with bringing maintenance and painting on the entire group of tanks up to speed, they knew a one-size-fits-all solution simply didn't exist.

"We knew that the overall appearance of the tanks could be improved more efficiently, but we needed a detailed program to direct our effort," says Blair. "What we needed to do was to bring all of them to a maintenance-level program rather than allowing them to be treated on a reactive level. We knew that would require different responses at different sites."

The Marathon Ashland paint team also recognized that they could use some expert help in this area. What they got was a solution that not only assessed the condition of their tanks but provided a maintenance plan for well into the future.

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