Toll processing as a resilience strategy in uncertain times

Ongoing geopolitical instability, trade complexity and logistics disruption continue to place strain on the global liquid bulk sector and the wider industries it supports. Ben Beattie, director of Forbeats, explains how toll processors can help operators maintain continuity, manage risk and navigate a challenging trading environment From fuels and petrochemicals to chemicals and intermediates, operators across storage, handling and distribution have rarely faced a more sustained period of disruption than in the past five years. A combination of geopolitical instability, regulatory divergence, logistics constraints and economic volatility has reshaped how materials move globally. At the terminal level, this is reflected in how operators manage day-to-day activity, with tank utilisation, scheduling and throughput now requiring far more dynamic coordination than in the past. Tanks are remaining occupied for longer than planned, expected deliveries are failing to arrive on schedule and onward distribution is increasingly shaped by constraints outside of operators’ control. One of the defining challenges for the sector is the growing unpredictability of product movement....