diff --git a/DATA/production/common/setVarsFromALIEN_PROC_ID.sh b/DATA/production/common/setVarsFromALIEN_PROC_ID.sh
index bb2116bba..e8a6e8aab 100644
--- a/DATA/production/common/setVarsFromALIEN_PROC_ID.sh
+++ b/DATA/production/common/setVarsFromALIEN_PROC_ID.sh
@@ -3,18 +3,25 @@
 # Script to set a couple of variables that depend on ALIEN_PROC_ID.
 # Since several scripts might need this, it is in a separate script.
 
-# let's get the last 10 (for INT) and 5 (for int16) digits of ALIEN_PROC_ID, to be passed to define NUMAID and shm-segment-id via O2JOBID, which are int and int16 respectively. Then we make them an int or int16
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT32=10
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT16=9
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_LENTGH=`echo $ALIEN_PROC_ID | wc -l`
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32=$((ALIEN_PROC_ID_LENTGH - ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT32))
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16=$((ALIEN_PROC_ID_LENTGH - ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT16))
-# lets's take the last 10 (int) or 5 (int16) digits
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32=${ALIEN_PROC_ID:$((ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32))}
-ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16=${ALIEN_PROC_ID:$((ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16))}
+# let's get the last 9 (for int) and 8 (for int16) digits of ALIEN_PROC_ID, to be passed to define NUMAID and shm-segment-id via O2JOBID, which are int and int16 respectively. Then we make them an int or int16
+ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT32=9
+ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT16=8
+echo "ALIEN_PROC_ID for current job = ${ALIEN_PROC_ID}"
+
+if [[ -n ${ALIEN_JDL_PACKAGES} ]] && [[ ${#ALIEN_PROC_ID} -lt ${ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT32} ]]; then # we are on the grid, and we expect to have the PROC_ID
+  echo "We cannot determine O2JOBID, the job id is too short (${ALIEN_PROC_ID}), we need at least ${ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT32} digits, returning error"
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32=$((10#${ALIEN_PROC_ID: -${ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT32}}))
+echo "ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32 = $ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32"
+
+ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16=$((10#${ALIEN_PROC_ID: -${ALIEN_PROC_ID_MAX_NDIGITS_INT16}}))
+echo "ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16 = $ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16"
+
 # let's make them int32 or int16, but not with the max possible value (which would be 0x7fffffff and 0x7fff respectively)
 # but a bit less, to allow to add [0, 15] on top afterwards if needed (e.g. we usually add
 # the NUMAID), see https://github.com/AliceO2Group/O2DPG/pull/993#pullrequestreview-1393401475
 export O2JOBID=$(((ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT32 & 0x7ffffff) * 16))
 export O2JOBSHMID=$(((ALIEN_PROC_ID_OFFSET_INT16 & 0x7ff) * 16))
-echo "ALIEN_PROC_ID = $ALIEN_PROC_ID, we will set O2JOBID = $O2JOBID, SHMEMID = $SHMEMID"
+echo "ALIEN_PROC_ID = $ALIEN_PROC_ID, we will set O2JOBID = $O2JOBID, SHMEMID = $O2JOBSHMID"