Oil and Gas.

Fluctuating demand.

Forecasting demand is hard. Material lead times can be long. High inventory levels give security but tie up capital. Excess time in any process is costly. Profitability and competitiveness require inventory levels to be balanced against actual demand.

Real-time, paperless visibility of production processes, downtime alerts and collaborative messaging within the factory ensure operational transparency and efficiency. Clear visibility helps to identify opportunities to shorten process time and take out waste. Shorter job times enhance responsiveness to market conditions and reduce the need for a large inventory.

Innovation.

New methods of exploring and extracting previously untapped resources, such as fracking, are emerging. Speed of innovation can render established equipment obsolete. Alternative power sources and environmental pressures are impacting demand for downstream products, from fuel and synthetic lubricants to plastics.

Real-time process visibility tracks progress, identifies bottlenecks and highlights opportunities to rapidly adapt and remodel production lines, improving efficiency, productivity and profitability.

Safety.

Equipment and machinery must withstand extremes of climate, weather and environment. Leakages, spillages and explosive accidents are extremely costly, both commercially and to reputation.

Safety is improved by rigorous quality standards, reducing in-field failures. Real-time monitoring will provide reliable data on machine conditions for analysis. In-process inspection and validation raise quality and reduce end-of-line and delivery rejection. Automatic collection of data and documented procedures provide auditory evidence.

Pollution and compliance.

Non-compliance with legislation is seriously damaging, financially and reputationally. Wellhead, extraction, transportation and processing equipment is mission-critical. Within the manufacturing environment, machine condition is critical to the delivery of secure equipment that will not fail in-field.

Automated, real-time data collection and equipment and industrial fluid condition monitoring, linked directly to production planning software, helps maintain machine performance. Effective monitoring extends maintenance intervals and equipment lifetime.