Meeting the Challenge: Securing a High-Risk Oil Refinery with Precision and Compliance

August 1, 2025

Client type: Major oil refinery
Contract award date: December 2022
Service lines: Annual maintenance package for access control, CCTV, automatic gates, barriers and turnstiles

Background

Our client is a multinational trading, distribution and retail conglomerate operating in the petroleum and biofuels sectors. Through multiple brands, they are recognised as one of the UK’s largest oil importers, supplying shipping companies with biodiesel, crude oil, diesel, fuel oil, gas oil and gasoline from a major refinery in Immingham.

This expansive site covers over 500 acres and houses some of the most advanced refining and conversion technologies in Europe, with a capacity to process up to 113,000 barrels of oil per day.

In October 2022, the client issued an invitation to tender for a security partner to supply, install, commission and maintain a comprehensive security infrastructure, including access-controlled doors, CCTV systems and various perimeter security assets. Only highly accredited and specialist contractors were invited to participate in this process.

Following a rigorous pre-qualification and tender evaluation process, Kings Secure Technologies (KST) was awarded the contract in December 2022.

Description of Works

KST delivers both preventative and corrective maintenance to approximately 350 access-controlled doors, 48 turnstiles, a variety of gates and barriers, and CCTV camera systems across the client’s refinery and several office locations in Central London, Thurrock and Weybridge.

Project Delivery

Now in its third year, the contract has seen notable success. During the first 10 months of year one, KST resolved over 100 critical faults—many inherited from the previous provider—with 75% addressed within the first three months.

Perimeter security was a major focus due to the site’s sensitive operations. At the outset, the client experienced ongoing failures with their external access-controlled turnstiles. Partnering with our approved turnstile manufacturer, KST’s CEM-certified access control engineers conducted in-depth diagnostics, collaborating to distinguish between hardware and system-level issues. Our work restored full functionality, eliminating the need for temporary guarding solutions—resulting in significant cost savings.

KST’s high first-time fix rate has drastically reduced recurring callouts and associated charges. We also aligned our PPM schedule to coincide with reactive maintenance activity, enabling simultaneous fault rectification and servicing. This strategic approach increased engineering efficiency and eliminated unnecessary duplication of visits, offering greater value and uptime.

Challenges

Working on a high-security, high-risk energy site necessitated stringent compliance and safety standards. KST responded by assigning a dedicated mobilisation team that included office and field-based project managers, a regional service manager, and an account manager, all overseen by our compliance team and Operations Director.

We held twice-weekly planning meetings with the client to meet all safety requirements, which included CCNSG safety passports and site-specific online induction training. Within four weeks, a fully trained and compliant team of 18 engineers — comprising reactive, relief and dedicated site personnel — were deployed, supported by our technical designer and a senior commissioning engineer.

Technical Overview

The deployed access control platform is CEM, a TYCO Group company, for which KST has held Value Added Reseller (VAR) status since 2015. We work closely with CEM to ensure rapid and effective resolution of any system issues through our 24/7 technical support agreement.

Future Opportunities

Due to consistently strong KPI performance, the client has extended KST’s remit to include several major office-based projects, such as:

• Upgrading access-controlled doors at regional offices to align with the centralised CEM access control platform.
• Installing new cloud-based CCTV systems across non-refinery office sites.
• Deploying 16 new perimeter turnstiles fitted with CEM Emerald reader technology at key access points.

The client has demonstrated their confidence in KST’s ongoing performance by entering into a new 3-year agreement, extending our partnership through to 2028.

KST looks forward to continuing to support this major energy company with cutting-edge security enhancements and expert maintenance services well into the future.