Capturing Margins Through Timely and Accurate Crude Evaluations

By: Darren York Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Crude Refining & Production Petrochemical & Specialty Chemical Strategic Business Planning

Refineries face unprecedented complexity in crude procurement. Price volatility, geopolitical instability, and shifting crude slates have made traditional feedstock selection strategies increasingly unreliable. To stay competitive, refiners must transition from reactive decision-making to proactive, data-driven crude evaluations.

A fit-for-purpose crude evaluation framework that integrates techno-economic modeling, gap analysis, and scalable workflows can help refineries unlock $2–4 per barrel in margin improvements. By embedding this approach into procurement and planning cycles, operators can better manage risk, maximize unit performance, and enhance long-term profitability.

Read the full white paper on Hydrocarbon Processing‘s website to see how your refinery can turn crude selection into a competitive advantage.

About The Author

Darren York

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Darren York has 23 years of Supply Chain Optimization and Industrial Engineering experience in the Refining and Chemical industry. Darren’s experience includes roles with KBC Advanced Technologies as a Principal Consultant and Global Product Manager for Strategic and Supply Chain Services working with international clients in all regions including the US, Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Russia, EAU, Oman, South Africa, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, China and Japan. Prior to KBC, Darren held multiple positions, including management roles, at Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi refinery in business development, economics and planning, production accounting, compliance and performance management. In these roles he has focused on business success and margin capture through applied optimization, project leadership, planning, coaching and technical development of an integrated hydrocarbon supply chain. Darren’s passion is to help Becht clients succeed through hydrocarbon supply chain optimization that results in greater margin capture at all levels and stages from strategic feasibility to operational production.