Where safety meets growth
LBC operates terminals worldwide, of which three terminals in Europe, one in Rotterdam and two in Antwerp and is growing fast, with plans in Vlissingen and ambitions around low-carbon fuels. Growth and sustainability matter, but without safety that’s rock-solid and repeatable, nothing else does.
Before: every site, it’s own way
For years, each terminal ran on paper with locally grown templates and habits shaped by the local HSSEQ department. The checks existed, but depth, order, and documentation varied by site; audits meant chasing versions, and comparing terminals meant anecdotes rather than data.
Koen Van Aelst, IT project manager at LBC, puts it this way:
“We felt a clear need for alignment, bringing three terminals onto one way of working.”
To turn that into action, LBC worked with an external consultant to facilitate agreement across the three terminals as part of a broader safety maturity push. The consultant’s role was to convene the sites, surface practical differences (size, responsibilities, ways of working, even how Dynamics 365 is used), and help the teams articulate shared objectives and a common way of working. As the implementation team explained, the hesitation wasn’t about ‘winning’ between sites, it was about habit: “we’re used to doing it this way.” He spent time sitting with each team, listening to objectives and constraints, and through conversation finding a version that worked for all three terminals. Throughout, the skeleton team kept the shopfloor at the centre of discussions so operators would own the process; Unite-X then configured the digital workflows to reflect those alignment decisions, without imposing a one-size-fits-all template. The result is not just digitization, but a shared language of safety that the frontline can own, measure, and keep improving.
Principle first: the people who do the work own the system
Ilja Siebert (HSSEQ/CSR) and Koen (IT) were matter of fact about their core belief: the frontline must own the tool.
“They use it every day, it has to be their system. It’s only our task to make it workable & harmonize SOP to assure it is recognisable whatever site you go and language is common” – Ilja
“Key users make or break a project, so they chose the tool.” – Koen
3 sites
12 weeks to implement
105 active users
5000 permits per year
Choosing proven tech, not experiments
LBC’s shortlist focused on experienced suppliers with proven tech, not co-building a platform and hoping for the best. After many demos, the skeleton team handed the finalists to the terminals. The key users, the people who actually issue permits, picked Unite-X because it felt straightforward and least complex to learn. Also Permit-to-Work and LoToTo live together in one enforced flow within one tool is a huge benefit for LBC.
The timeline surprise:
8 weeks is our normal, 12 weeks fit LBC’s reality
In Unite-X projects, 8 weeks is standard. LBC’s reaction? Shock. Not because they were slow, but because they were implementing three terminals, moving from paper to digital and deliberately investing in alignment and safety culture. All at once.
So, the plan shifted, 12 weeks instead of 8. This way they could keep operations running while freeing the same people to design and test the new way of working.
“Terminal management nearly fell off their chairs: how can it be that fast and still be good?” Koen shares.
How we worked together
Kaizen-style sessions with key users shaped real-world configuration.
We iterated on one terminal, then replicated and localized for the others. Training stayed light because the people who shaped the setup were the ones bringing colleagues along. A steady key user group turns feedback into quick improvements.
What changed on the floor
- Digital checks were put in place, especially crucial under time pressure
- Comparing terminals is now straightforward; if a process slows, the data shows where and why
- Safety knowledge is shifting to where it belongs: the shopfloor
Safety doesn’t sit with a few specialists; it’s owned by the people doing the work. It’s our task to make it workable & harmonize standards where possible to assure it recognisable whatever site you go and the language is common” – Ilja
IT at the table from day one
Koen’s role mattered: IT wasn’t pushing a tool; IT explained the why of digitization and kept the architecture clean. An ERP (Dynamics 365) interface is prepared in test, and PlantMaps plus SIMOPS are on the roadmap so teams can see concurrent work in tight spaces. This isn’t an IT project; it’s an operations project that IT made sturdier and smarter.
Consultant’s view
Our colleague John Vos, delighted that the team enjoyed the collaboration, calls this one of his favourite recent projects. The challenge of combining information from three terminals, and LBC Group’s ambitions and professionalism, made it extra special.
“During the Kaizens, we realized there were significant differences across the three sites partly due to organizational size, and partly due to how their asset maintenance systems (Dynamics 365) were used. Some internal codings and agreements hadn’t been implemented consistently everywhere. That meant we needed ‘tailoring,’ which impacted the go-live planning for both PTW and especially the LoToTo modules across the three sites.
We handled that tailoring in close coordination with the project sponsor, lately Ilja Siebert the coordinating project lead across the three sites, Koen van Aelst, and the local project leads.”
– John Vos, Consultant
The language of safety shared
Under new ownership and with clear sustainability ambitions, LBC is growing and doing so by aligning how everyday safety actually works. The real change isn’t paper to digital; it’s everyone speaking the same language of safety, owned by the people closest to the work, supported by IT, and guided by Group HSSEQ. That’s how you protect people, keep things workable and minimise delay.
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