Guangxi Petrochemical Stabilizes Operations and Expands Profitability through Full-Chain Lean Transformation
2026-09-09
This year marks the first year of integrated production and operations for Guangxi Petrochemical. As a major integrated refining and chemical base in Southwest China—boasting a refining capacity of ten million tons and an ethylene capacity of one million tons—the company faced severe challenges to its steady operation right from the start. It contended with multiple pressures, including significant volatility in international crude oil prices, ongoing adjustments to import pricing rules, and rigid cost increases in logistics and essential chemical agents. In response to this complex market environment, Guangxi Petrochemical adopted a holistic approach covering four key dimensions: feedstock procurement, production operations, product mix, and cost control. The company implemented 286 specific measures—categorized into six major groups and 46 initiatives—to enhance quality and efficiency, thereby establishing a lean management system that spans the entire value chain. Through synergistic value-chain integration, coordinated efforts across production, R&D, and sales, and company-wide cost control and value creation, the enterprise exceeded its interim operational targets. Through concrete action and tangible results, it has forged a new path of high-quality development, achieving steady breakthroughs and growth despite adverse conditions.Raw material costs are the lifeblood of refining and chemical enterprises, as well as a critical lever for hedging market risks and unlocking profit potential. Addressing the operational reality of relying on external markets for both raw materials and product sales, Guangxi Petrochemical broke down departmental silos to establish a cross-functional market analysis task force. This team coordinates marketing and production departments to jointly assess market trends, continuously expand crude oil procurement channels, and diversify the crude oil mix—increasing the variety of procured crude types to 75. This diversified sourcing strategy effectively hedges against price spikes in any single crude variety and secures a stable, reasonably priced raw material supply. "Crude oil procurement cannot be based on unit price alone; it requires comprehensive calculations factoring in pricing formulas, shipping cycles, and unit compatibility, alongside a multi-perspective, flexible allocation strategy," said Guo Chunfeng of the Marketing and Logistics Department. The company implemented daily analysis and weekly review mechanisms to track crude oil price trends in real-time, strictly controlling procurement costs at the source to maximize efficiency. Procurement practices have shifted from a simple "race to the bottom" on price to a "total cost" approach, enabling scientific, refined, and dynamic management. The Production Operations Department coordinates across various refining units to continuously upgrade ethylene feedstocks toward lighter and higher-quality grades, establishing channels for material exchange between units and process sections. Through a series of process innovations—such as upgrading etherified gasoline, increasing yields of light naphtha and raffinate, substituting straight-run naphtha with catalytic gasoline, and optimizing fuel gas network composition—the company fully utilizes low-value or idle internal materials to consistently supply high-quality feedstock to the ethylene unit. By implementing a closed-loop recovery and reuse system for by-products, Guangxi Petrochemical saves tens of millions of yuan in external procurement costs annually, effectively absorbing the pressure of rising upstream raw material prices while simultaneously reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing efficiency. With the coordinated support of the Group, Guangxi Petrochemical has deepened upstream-downstream and internal-external collaboration, securing seven material exchange agreements and strengthening its land-sea intermodal supply network; since the beginning of the year, the company has procured nearly 180,000 tons of high-quality naphtha. At the same time, the company has constructed its largest dedicated 10,000-ton class naphtha loading and unloading berth; this addresses the previous shortfall in handling large raw-material vessels and secures a smooth channel for importing high-quality feedstocks, thereby laying a solid infrastructure foundation for the facility to achieve stable, high-load production and enhanced efficiency.Faced with the industry-wide challenge of rising costs and shrinking profit margins on low-end products, Guangxi Petrochemical has steadfastly adhered to the philosophy that "major stability yields major benefits." Grounding its operations in the safe, stable, and optimal performance of its units, the company has tackled the dilemma of "increased output without increased revenue" by upgrading its product mix toward high-end offerings, thereby maximizing profitability. The company’s technical team focused on the challenges of processing diverse crude oil feedstocks, successfully resolving 31 operational bottlenecks. They completed full-load performance testing for nine core refining and chemical units—including the ethylene unit—significantly enhancing the facilities' compatibility with various crude oil types. By achieving stable, large-scale production, the company diluted unit processing costs and secured a solid foundation for profitability through operational stability. Guangxi Petrochemical established a dedicated task force to monitor price fluctuations in chemical products and implemented a "one-product, one-strategy" differentiated production scheduling mechanism. The company proactively reduced capacity for low-efficiency and slow-moving basic chemicals while strategically allocating high-quality feedstocks to boost the output of high-end new materials. Leveraging its in-house R&D and innovation platforms, the company successfully mass-produced 13 types of new chemical materials in the first seven months of the year, steadily enhancing the market competitiveness of product lines such as rubber and polyolefins. Capitalizing on the strategic location of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, Guangxi Petrochemical aggressively expanded into overseas markets. It achieved its first exports of high-end rubber and specialized polypropylene materials, precisely targeting the robust demand for high-end chemical materials within the ASEAN region. "Competition for low-end chemical products in the domestic market is fierce, and profit margins are razor-thin; meanwhile, demand for high-end new materials in the ASEAN region continues to grow, offering significant potential for deep market development," said Ren Gangxing, a senior supervisor in the Marketing and Logistics Department. This synergistic dual-market strategy effectively hedges against rising upstream costs and establishes a new buffer zone for profit growth.As the lead enterprise for the Qinzhou Petrochemical Industrial Park's value chain, Guangxi Petrochemical has leveraged its role as an industry leader to explore new paths for integrated park operations. By fostering supply chain synergy to cut costs and revitalizing resources to generate value, the company has pioneered a new operational model. It anticipated industry trends and commissioned a gas-phase ethylene export pipeline within the park, enabling direct material supply and interconnection between upstream and downstream units. With a cumulative pipeline throughput of 49,400 tons of ethylene, the company eliminated costs associated with loading, unloading, transshipment, and long-distance transport, while effectively avoiding issues such as rising logistics costs and material losses, thereby establishing itself as a benchmark for trading-oriented enterprises. Precision financial control empowers operations, driving quality and efficiency through a dual-pronged approach. The company has deepened refined financial management and systematically revitalized idle assets—such as spent catalysts and packaging materials—in compliance with regulations. In the first seven months of this year, the disposal of spent catalysts, additives, and adsorbents generated over 50 million yuan in additional revenue. Simultaneously, the company optimized its capital allocation model by adjusting settlement cycles for crude oil procurement and logistics payments, thereby continuously reducing financial operating costs. This combination of increasing external revenue and cutting internal costs has helped offset the operational pressure caused by rising raw material prices. Adhering to a philosophy of "tightening the belt," Guangxi Petrochemical has integrated cost control across the entire production and operation chain, ensuring that responsibility for quality and efficiency improvements is firmly established at every level and position. The Finance and Production Operations departments spearheaded the creation of a comprehensive cost assessment system. This system breaks down key performance indicators—covering processes from crude oil procurement and production to unit maintenance—into specific targets for individual departments, units, and teams, ensuring all-encompassing cost control with no blind spots. The equipment management department has focused on lean maintenance management, strictly controlling unnecessary expenditures by optimizing procurement plans for maintenance materials and streamlining construction workflows. From management-level cross-enterprise resource coordination to frontline teams recovering by-products through technical upgrades, the drive for quality and efficiency has evolved from a task for a single department into a collective effort involving the entire workforce across all operational areas. Diversified sourcing of 75 crude oil varieties has fortified the foundation of supply security; the launch of 13 new material products has ignited growth momentum; and the pipeline transport of 62,200 tons of ethylene has driven cost reductions across the value chain. These impressive figures bear witness to the enterprising spirit of the entire workforce at Guangxi Petrochemical as they confront challenges head-on, proactively drive transformation, and tackle tough tasks with pragmatic action.