Building on IFS expertise, and IFS customer testimonials, this blog explores the importance of connected operations from planning to decommissioning.
Large infrastructure projects within the Energy, Utilities, & Resources (EU&R) sector are striking and never-ending. When the world needs more, we build more. And as technology changes, so does the infrastructure we rely upon to serve our customers and support the business.
And there is undoubtedly a lot of change underway. A few short decades ago, infrastructure projects were built big for big productivity. Success was often based on how much output was generated, be it oil and gas, hydropower, transmission and distribution grids, and so on.
While optimized productivity remains imperative. Today, organizations must also accommodate new requirements such as hard-set decarbonization and sustainability goals, technological advances, and the decentralization of a grid that has served the world for decades.
Connecting the Operation
With such large-stake EU&R initiatives, maintaining oversight and knowing with certainty the project’s status at any given moment is critical to its success.
A connected operation collects data from assets and systems, delivering real-time insights and ensuring the work progresses on track and within budget.
However, connectivity is not as easy as pulling production data from every wind turbine or drilling rig. It’s much more complicated. Many enterprise assets comprise hundreds—and even thousands—of smaller assets and parts, all critical to the operation of the component and the business.
This is reflected in the rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which grew globally by 18% in 2022, with experts predicting further growth of 16%, increasing to 16 billion endpoints in 2023.
With so many connected assets, it’s no surprise that data production has increased exponentially. For example, in Oil and Gas, a large refinery can generate 1TB of raw data every day with a single offshore drilling rig producing a similar result. Overall, the big data analytics market for Energy is expected to grow at an astounding CAGR of 11.28% (2022 to 2027).
To produce real-time data intelligence, EU&R companies must harness data generated across the operation, connecting the business at its most granular level.
Project Planning
Operational connectivity must be in place at the earliest stage of the project. The insights garnered as the project evolves serve to measure progress, identify areas that require further scrutiny, and ensure a financially viable outcome when the project is complete.
For example, the company must accurately predict the assets and parts needed during construction. These insights support a just-in-time procurement model and precise supply chain and inventory management, instrumental for a cost-efficient result. In the Energy, Utilities & Resources sector we focus on the long run. Therefore, there is no time to lose.
IFS Cloud connects all aspects of these large infrastructure projects, providing industry-leading enterprise asset management (EAM) and resource planning (ERP) technologies. IFS also enables innovative capabilities such as digital twins. These systems generate an exact digital copy in real-time, ensuring status reports from third-party contractors align with the data.
IFS customer Hitachi Zosen INOVA, a global cleantech company in Switzerland, relies on IFS Cloud to deliver complex turnkey plants and system solutions. These initiatives include thermal and biological energy-from-waste recovery, gas upgrading, and power-to-gas projects.
“Having a single view of our data across the entire business enables us to get better operational visibility and thereby optimize our processes and support our growth strategy as we deliver more projects more efficiently.”
Gilles Burckel, Director Business Unit Controlling EfW
Production & Maintenance
The benefits of IFS during the planning phase extend to support the operation once the project goes live.
For example, IFS Planning and Scheduling Optimization (PSO) was instrumental in controlling all moving pieces during construction, including scheduling workers, contractors, and other third parties such as city crews, traffic control, permitting services, and others.
These PSO capabilities seamlessly shift to support full production requirements, ensuring the best worker is scheduled based on experience, access to parts and tools, geographical proximity, and other considerations. IFS logically manages the sequence of people, parts, materials, and equipment to optimize scheduling efficiencies in every phase of the project.
Post-launch, IFS EAM and IFS ERP systems continue to deliver unparalleled asset and resource capabilities, supporting predictive maintenance and other advances that optimize safety, uptime, and profitability.
With so many components involved in an EU&R operation, accurate asset analytics—knowing when an asset was acquired, in which warehouse (and bin) it resides, the truck it was loaded onto, and the field into which it was deployed—ensures maintenance activities are not delayed, minimizing downtime and disruptions to the business.
IFS customers leverage real-time dashboards and lobbies to monitor these touchpoints and interactions. If a problem occurs, the company has precisely what it needs to resolve it. In the event of a recall or warranty issue, real-time data and automated workflows accelerate the process.
Decommissioning
As technology evolves, a new and better alternative is presented, and at this point, the asset or infrastructure reaches its end of life and must be decommissioned.
A connected operation enabled by IFS Cloud provides essential information for decommissioning and the eventual capitalization of an asset through its entire lifecycle. For example, tracking accurate asset depreciation data to support tax credits, breakdowns of material for recycling or sustainable disposal, and other granular insights that support the decommissioning process.
Detailed reports provide proof of compliance with financial, environmental, and government regulations.
Summary
As with all EU&R projects, flexibility is vital. While IFS Cloud supports end-to-end project lifecycle management, the platform is composable to accommodate applications and technologies already in use, integrating seamlessly with existing enterprise applications for a truly connected operation.
Depending upon the environment, IFS can supplement with embedded scheduling, management, and mobility capabilities for an agile, multi-layered approach to EU&R project management.
The sector is on a fantastic trajectory of change. By connecting these data-rich operations, EU&R companies can achieve their business objectives today and into the future.
To learn how IFS can support your project management requirements, visit our website or contact us today.
