John Crane, a global leader in flow-control technologies and an innovator in solutions for rotating equipment, and a business of Smiths Group plc, has renewed a long-term agreement to improve equipment reliability at a major refinery in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The six-year Managed Reliability Program (MRP) will support 1,833 pumps across the refinery’s established operations and modernised assets.
The agreement will help reduce recurring mechanical seal failures, improve equipment availability and provide greater certainty over maintenance costs. By keeping critical pumps operating reliably, the programme will also support more consistent production of the fuels and energy products supplied to businesses, transport networks and industries.
The need for dependable refinery operations is becoming increasingly important as the Middle East’s role in global fuel supply grows. The International Energy Agency expects the region to contribute an additional 860,000 barrels per day to global refined-product supply through 2030, further strengthening its position as a major export-oriented refining hub.
Refineries run continuously, often for long periods between planned shutdowns. A failure in a critical pump can interrupt production, require urgent maintenance and affect deliveries to customers. Many operators must also manage ageing equipment alongside newer, more complex assets, while improving efficiency and controlling costs. This is driving a shift from repairing equipment after it fails to identifying and preventing problems earlier.
John Crane’s programme combines dedicated on-site reliability engineers and technicians with digital performance monitoring through ServiceMaxโข. Equipment and failure data will be used to identify recurring problem assets, investigate root causes and prioritise improvements before issues lead to further disruption.
The agreement also covers mechanical seal repair and upgrades, obsolescence management, inventory optimisation and technical training, supported by standardised processes across the site.
The fixed annual fee gives the refinery greater visibility of maintenance expenditure. Unlike a traditional repair contract, the commercial model is linked to measurable reliability improvement, aligning both organisations around preventing failures and improving long-term performance rather than simply completing more repairs.
Over the six-year programme, the refinery is targeting an approximately 7.5% improvement in reliability across its established assets and a 150% improvement across its newer assets. This will help critical equipment run for longer between failures, reducing disruption and supporting more stable refinery operations.
“Refineries must operate safely and continuously while controlling costs and meeting customer demand. This partnership is built around preventing problems rather than waiting for equipment to fail. By combining on-site engineering expertise, digital insight and shared performance targets, we can help our customer reduce disruption, improve availability and make better long-term decisions. The result is more stable operations, predictable maintenance costs and greater confidence in reliable fuel supply,” said Amjad Al Qaqaa, Vice President, Middle East, Africa & India, John Crane
The programme will be governed through a joint Alliance Integrity Team, with regular performance reviews, shared reliability data and four formal training sessions each year. John Crane has more than 25 years’ experience delivering Managed Reliability Programs and currently supports more than 270 programmes worldwide.
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