Getting every shift right

At its site in Nieuwdorp, Zeeland Refinery produces diesel and kerosene, among other products. The refinery employs around 400 to 450 people. Including regular contractors, between 500 and 600 people are on site on any given day.

Many of them work shifts. Production never stops, so every shift needs the right staffing levels. Numbers alone are not enough: each part of the refinery also needs people with the right qualifications.

Leave, overtime and last-minute schedule changes can quickly upset that balance. How do you keep track of who is working when, how many hours they work and whether those hours remain within legal limits?

Understanding overtime starts with reliable data

Working time compliance was the main reason Zeeland Refinery began looking for new software. Overtime was a recurring topic of discussion, but the organisation lacked the complete, reliable data needed to assess it objectively.

The refinery wanted to move beyond assumptions. Employees needed a clear view of their schedules, while management needed accurate records of working hours and overtime.

André den Outer, Application Engineer at Zeeland Refinery, explains: “There was a lot of talk about overtime, but we wanted to understand the actual situation. How many hours were people really working, and were we staying within the limits of the Dutch Working Hours Act?”

Finding software that could handle round-the-clock operations

Zeeland Refinery needed more than a tool for assigning people to shifts. When André first searched online, most of the scheduling software he found seemed better suited to conventional working patterns: people working during the day, with broadly similar hours.

That is not how a refinery operates.

Zeeland Refinery runs continuous shift patterns and needed software that could support them without workarounds. Planpoint’s ability to handle that complexity made the difference.

Planpoint brought together Zeeland Refinery’s two main requirements: managing complex continuous shift patterns and monitoring working time compliance.

Building the shift schedule, however, is only the starting point. Day-to-day decisions depend on the mix of people in each team. Schedulers need to know not just how many people are available, but which roles they are qualified to cover.

Different areas of the refinery require specific qualifications. Those responsible for scheduling must be able to check that each area has the knowledge and skills it needs, even when availability changes.

A leave request is a good example. When someone takes a day off, the shift may also lose an essential qualification. Before approving the request, the shift leader needs to check whether the remaining team can still cover all required roles.

Planpoint combines shift schedules, availability and qualifications in one place. Schedulers can see whether shifts are covered and whether the right people are assigned to each role.

Employees have different priorities. They want to check their schedules and request leave easily. Shift leaders use the same system to answer operational questions: is my shift still adequately staffed? Are all required qualifications covered? Can I approve this leave request?

Planpoint connects these needs in a single workflow. Employees submit leave requests, the person responsible checks the effect on staffing, and everyone works from an up-to-date schedule.

Planpoint also forms part of Zeeland Refinery’s wider software environment. Employees who use Planpoint request their leave there, while the organisation also uses AFAS. Data exchanged between the systems needs to remain consistent with that workflow.

For Zeeland Refinery, Planpoint is therefore part of a broader digital environment that supports both employees and workforce scheduling.

From go-live to everyday use

Introducing Planpoint involved more than installing the software. After go-live, Zeeland Refinery identified practical and technical issues to address, while employees adjusted to a new way of working.

The refinery worked through these points with the Planpoint team. Whenever specialist input was needed, Déhora involved the right people.

Not every issue required a major technical change. A different configuration, adjusted filters or a small change to the setup could make a significant difference for the people using the system every day.

Continuing to improve together

For Déhora, implementation does not end at go-live. Feedback from everyday use helps the team support customers and develop Planpoint further.

Zeeland Refinery contributes questions, processes and ideas drawn from its own operations. The Planpoint team assesses which needs can be met through configuration and which suggestions could lead to improvements for other customers.

André’s role as Application Engineer helps bridge the gap between users and the technical team. His technical background allows him to look beyond individual requests and explore solutions with wider value. His focus remains on making the software work well in practice.

“Zeeland Refinery is constantly evolving, and we want to keep pace with those changes. Planpoint is now part of how the organisation works every day. That says a lot.”