Engineer Manager

Mark Fligner

** ********** **** 732-***-**** (H)

Kendall Park, NJ 08824 732-***-**** (C)

********@*******.***

PROFILE

Refinery Technical Director with an MSChe degree and a comprehensive engineering background

covering multiple technical disciplines. Proven track record of identifying, justifying and implementing

profit improvement opportunities, along with increasing plant operating flexibility. Strong reputation as a

team player and consensus builder. Experience spans commercial manufacturing operations to pilot

plant unit operations in support of both R&D programs and commercial studies. Extensive experience

and knowledgeable in both staff and consulting organizations covering the following areas:

• Process Engineering • Manufacturing

• Economics & Planning • Design

• Control Systems • Research & Development

• Laboratory Services • Consulting

EXPERIENCE

Valero Energy Corporation 1998 to 2009

Refinery Technical Director, Paulsboro, NJ (2008 2009)

Reported directly to the VP and Refinery General Manager. Managed and directed department consisting

of 22 engineers spanning process, project, planning & economics and process control engineering

disciplines and 21 laboratory employees including chemists and technicians. Led day to day management

of technical support, performance monitoring / analysis and optimization. Stewarded engineering and

refinery long term strategic plan execution. Managed the Technical/Planning & Economics content and

made formal presentation at semi annual Stewardship meetings with company COO.

Stewarded implementation of energy stewardship program capturing in excess of $11 MM in

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savings from reduces natural gas and external power purchases.

Instituted formalized refinery turnaround logistics plans with HQ Planning & Economics, Supply &

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Product groups to ensure group alignment resulting in increased reliability and minimization of

feedstock/product downgrades.

Implemented a fast track refinery crude approval system which allowed crude optimization without

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sacrificing refinery reliability. Potential savings of $0.25 – 0.75 $/bbl of crude ($5MM $15MM per

year).

Planning & Economics Director, Paulsboro, NJ (2006 2008)

Planning & Economics Manager, Paulsboro, NJ (2004 2006)

Mark Fligner

Assigned to fuels and lubes refinery plant site. Manage a department of 6 professional engineers and 2

schedulers. Economics and planning group performs short, intermediate, and long term economics and

planning functions. Develop and update refinery operating plans based on raw materials, product

demand, and operational capability. Formulate longer term strategic plans taking into account corporate

operating philosophy, capital investment, and refinery configuration changes.

Obtained additional lube crude approval certification from Exxon Mobil resulting in potential to

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increase refinery profits by $15 – 20 MM/yr.

Implemented refinery synergies program with Delaware City refinery capturing approximately $11

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MM/yr in savings in reduced demurrage, lightering costs and feedstock/product downgrades.

Developed successful turnaround plan that minimized logistical impacts and allowed fuels crude

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unit to remain operational while FCC was shut down (all previous FCC shutdowns required crude

unit to shutdown too). Resulted in savings of $2.8MM.

Control Systems Engineering Manager, Paulsboro, NJ (1998 2004)

Assigned to fuels refinery. Managed a group of 4 CSE engineers and 2 DCS specialists performing

control engineering functions relating to basic and advanced process controls. Process control functions

encompassed control scheme development, application design, manual preparations, operator interface,

implementation, integration and maintenance. Ensured on going health of refinery DCS, computer and

PLC systems and developed short, medium, and long range plans for control system modernization

Developed a multi year plan covering the implementation of DMC projects on crude units, an FCC

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unit, delayed Coking unit and lube units. Average returns were in excess of $500 M/yr (post audit)

resulting from feed increases and/or yield improvements.

Implemented on line analyzer tracking system that increased operator “buy in” resulting in

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increased up time for advanced control and inferential models.

Spear headed successful refinery Y2K transition along with migration of refinery process historian

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from a “home grown” proprietary unsupportable system to a commercial supportable system with

zero issues.

MOBIL Corporation 1991 to 1998

Staff Process Control Engineer, Mobil Oil Company, Paulsboro, NJ (2006 1998)

Assigned to fuels/lubes refinery plant site. Process Control Engineer for Fuels / Lubes Crude Units and

Delayed Coker Unit. Responsible for development, implementation and maintenance of dynamic multi

variable and advanced process control schemes

Applications/Optimization Engineer, Mobil Technology Co., Princeton, NJ (1991 1996)

Mark Fligner

Implemented projects as a Process Computer Applications Engineer, Process Optimization Engineer and

Advanced Process Control Engineer. Developed and implemented applications and projects that covered

unit start up expert systems, multi unit optimization systems and dynamic multi variable control systems

KBC Advanced Technologies, Inc. 1988 to 1991

Consultant, Parsippany, NJ, (1988 1991)

Assigned to East Coast office of the world's leading consulting company for profit improvement in the

refining industry. Primarily involved in KBC's flagship Profit Improvement Program ("PIP") services

functions. Provided an integrated series of services, which helped refiners improve their day to day

performance and their profit by typically 25 to 50 cents per barrel of processed crude. Addressed all

aspects of refinery operations with particular emphasis on improving process unit yields, saving energy,

increasing equipment availability, and providing better planning and scheduling decisions amongst others.

Supported Profit Improvement (Yield and Energy) Studies for Marathon Refinery, Robinson,

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Illinois, Chevron, El Segundo Refinery, Los Angeles, California.

Collaborated on long range refinery planning study, UNO VEN refinery, Lemont, Illinois.

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Developed refinery wide modeling and simulation models

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Performed refinery systems integration studies: UNOCAL HQ, Los Angeles, Santa Maria and San

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Francisco Refineries, California; Chinese Petroleum Corporation HQ and Refineries, Taipei and

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

EXXON Corporation 1979 to 1988

Process Engineer, Exxon Research & Engineering Co., Florham Park, NJ (1984 1988) & (1979 1981)

Performed FCC plant start up and commissioning, Ultramar, Quebec City, Canada

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Designed, developed and implemented dynamic simulation models for Operator training simulator

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for EXXON USA Baytown Flexicoker plant startup

Developed and validated process model as part of a model based optimization control scheme for

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an Exxon refinery located in Antwerp, Belgium

Performed unit field tests and provided technical service for commercial FCC units

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Pilot Plant Engineer, Exxon Research & Development Labs, Baton Rouge, LA (1/82 to 12/83)

Performed pilot plant troubleshooting and validation of a new $300,000 FCC pilot unit

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Introduced and applied statistical based techniques to experimental design and pilot unit data

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evaluation

Directed pilot studies in support of commercial projects

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EDUCATION

Mark Fligner

University of Delaware

MS Chemical Engineering

State University of New York at Buffalo

BS Chemical Engineering

PATENTS

“Flue Gas Diversion/Protection System” – U.S. Serial No. 779,842

MEMBERSHIPS

Member of Tau Beta Pi – National Engineering Honor Society

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