Insta was selected as the best‑performing contractor in the spring 2024 major turnaround at Neste’s Porvoo refinery. According to Neste, the decision was based on excellent performance in safety, quality, and collaboration.
Neste has awarded Insta as the best‑performing contractor in the spring 2024 major turnaround at the Porvoo refinery. According to Neste, the decision was based on excellent performance in safety, quality, and collaboration.
The photo features Insta’s site manager Antero Matikainen, Director of Quality and Responsibility Miia Ridderstad, project manager Lasse Jalonen, and Neste’s turnaround manager Sami Wasström.
The major turnaround was carried out successfully and professionally together with more than one hundred audited contractor companies. It lasted nine weeks, involved over 7,600 people, and accumulated more than 1.4 million working hours. This year, the turnaround was completed on a shorter schedule than before.
Major turnarounds are a long-standing and significant commitment for Insta
“Major turnarounds are a very significant project and a major investment for Insta. We have been present in turnarounds and larger projects at the Porvoo refinery since the days of Automatiikka-Asentajat, founded in 1960,” says Jarno Pitkänen, Director of Installation Services.
“We are grateful and proud of the recognition. Our experience as a trusted supplier of automation, instrumentation, and electrification for refinery operations has been an important part of Insta’s work throughout nearly our entire history. We want to remain a reliable partner for Neste also in the future,” Pitkänen continues.
During the major turnaround, the Porvoo refinery was one of the largest construction sites in Finland. At its peak, Insta and its subsidiary Mattila Porvoo had more than 60 employees working on Neste’s spring 2024 turnaround.
Award criteria
According to Neste, the award was based on the following criteria:
Safety: Insta Automation demonstrated commitment to proactive safety work and operated safely during the TA24 execution. In cooperation with Neste, the service provider continues to actively develop safety further.
Quality: The quality of Insta Automation’s design and execution was at a high level, leading to a successful outcome.
Collaboration: Cooperation with the service provider was seamless and straightforward. Communication was open and clear, and the flexible and solution‑oriented approach was appreciated.
Major turnarounds ensure the refinery’s safe and continuous operation
Regularly scheduled maintenance shutdowns — major turnarounds — ensure the uninterrupted operation of the Porvoo refinery. During the roughly nine‑week shutdown, statutory inspections, maintenance work, and equipment upgrades were carried out — tasks that cannot be performed while the refinery is running. The turnaround work focused on pressure equipment, rotating machinery, and piping.
The turnaround also contributed to Neste’s goal of making the Porvoo refinery the most sustainable refinery in Europe by 2030 and achieving carbon‑neutral production by 2035.
