A Career in Process Expertise: Yves Racette of Valero Energy

We recently recognized one of our most valued Community members. Yves Racette reached Polestar, the highest rank in the TrendMiner Community, and it felt like the right time to sit down with him.

Yves is Director Technology at Valero Energy, working out of the company's San Antonio headquarters. His work covers process KPI monitoring, engineering documentation management, and analytics with TrendMiner. As he prepares to retire, we wanted to capture his journey, the lessons he picked up over a full career as a process expert, and the advice he'd pass on to the people following behind him.

Getting to know Yves

Can you tell us about your background?

I graduated as a Chemical Engineer from Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. I had an unusual career for a Chemical Engineer, as I spent the entire time working in automation, with data historian systems, and in software development.

What does your role look like day to day?

I mostly manage user requests for monitoring process performance with measured or calculated KPIs. I make sure data and reports are available and accurate, I support and train end-users and administrators, and I coordinate with Valero Information Services and the Data Historian Support groups.

His TrendMiner journey

What was the first moment when you thought, "TrendMiner really works"?

We have a variety of data sources and use two major brands of data historian systems. We needed something capable of connecting to and exposing a range of time-series data for analysis and monitoring. The first applications I configured were a series of dashboards with corporate overviews by process unit type, built for our Process Subject Matter Experts. These dashboards include key metrics, trends, monitor statuses and counts, and context item views, with drill-down into site or unit-specific detail.

The moment it clicked was when I finished my first corporate dashboard showing data from more than ten sources and saw how useful and time-saving it was for our SMEs. Our data usage reports keep confirming it. These applications get used day in and day out.

If TrendMiner weren't there, how would your work look?

Process SMEs would have to consult multiple individual reports just to get the status of their circuits, and we'd lean on Excel a lot more to extract, join, and analyze data. Filtering out data outliers would be much harder, too.

"TrendMiner helped our SMEs get the right information faster, with the ability to connect and analyze data from multiple sources, detect and analyze events, filter data outliers, and more."

His Community experience

What would you say to someone who hasn't joined the Community or TrendLab yet?

There's tremendous value in not just joining the Community but in being an active member. The time you put in is minimal compared to what you get back. And definitely attend TrendLab. The two-day investment is more than worth it, to step back, see what's out there, understand the product road map, learn how others use the product, and share with TrendMiner employees and other customers.

Was there a moment when an answer you found in the Community changed how you worked?

I was looking for a way to derive a rate of change for some process parameters, and I found the trick of using a calculation with a time shift of the same tag. That turned out to be the perfect way to handle it.

Which parts of the Community give you the most value?

Essentially all of them. I make a point of registering for most webinars and watching the recordings when I can't attend live. I browse tips and tricks to learn from others, I post questions when I need technical help, and I've posted a few product ideas too, most of which are being considered by the development team. I find all that interaction and engagement very rewarding.

"There is tremendous value in not only joining the Community but in being an active member. The time you invest in it is minimal compared to what you gain from using it."

Yves solved problems faster by asking. He answered questions, shared tips, and posted product ideas, several of which made it onto our roadmap. He treated the Community as a tool rather than a noticeboard, and that's exactly what earned him Polestar.

His legacy

What moment are you most proud of in your career?

My unusual background let me be at the service of others, like the Process SMEs, and I'm proud that my work helps them in their day-to-day and lets them shine.

What's the most valuable lesson you'd say every process expert should know?

This may sound odd, but I believe there's a very high value in documenting your work and sharing knowledge. It makes sure repeat events and issues get resolved promptly, that the work is clear and accurate, that necessary changes can be expedited, and that your peers can actually maintain the applications.

Could you describe your "signature" technique in TrendMiner?

I believe well-designed visuals are powerful. I favor consistency in the layouts and colors, clear labels, and dashboards that follow a hierarchy from summary down to detail, including links to external applications and supporting documentation.

Advice for new process experts

What advice would you give someone just starting out?

Be curious. Understand that there's always something new to learn. Don't be afraid to ask questions, offer help when you think you can, and document your work.

Two things a newcomer should "definitely do", one about the product and one about the Community?

Explore the advanced features of TrendMiner and how they apply to your job and can help your peers. And be an active member of the Community. It will build your knowledge, and everyone benefits from the creative points of view you bring.