Efficiency Unleashed: Transforming Midstream Operations

Introduction

In early 2022, a large, privately held independent energy company specializing in the acquisition, production, and advancement of domestic oil and gas assets, embarked on a transformative journey. With a diverse portfolio that includes acquired upstream and midstream assets across significant regions such as the Permian, Rockies, and Oklahoma, the company recognized the pressing need to streamline operations, enhance decision-making capabilities, and advance sustainability measures.

Teaming up with Novus Consulting, the company set out to overhaul its asset management, work order management, maintenance, scheduling, and procurement processes by selecting and integrating a cutting-edge Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solution. Leveraging Novus as a guide, the company set forth clear objectives: to consolidate systems and standardize processes across all assets, bolster workflow control and decision-making capabilities, enhance preventive maintenance practices, ensure compliance with PSM regulations, promote sustainability through streamlined training and faster asset implementations, and ultimately reduce operational costs.

Their efforts resulted in successful deployments at three Wyoming midstream gas plants, including the country's second-largest process safety management (PSM) facility, and four transmission pipelines in the Rockies region.

Project Inception

This company grew heavily through asset acquisition. On their latest plant acquisition, they picked up a plant and pipeline assets with extensive processes in SAP and PSM compliance requirements. In order to get the asset off SAP quickly while maintaining plant integrity, Novus led a software selection effort to choose IBM’s Maximo and efficiently migrate SAP data into Maximo within the guidelines of the TSA. The seamless transition and deployment of these initial implementations marked the beginning of a series of ongoing rollouts to additional assets, thereby consolidating all of midstream assets onto a single platform.

Transformation and Objectives

The initial objective was to swiftly migrate one location from a previous EAM software to Maximo. The driving force behind this shift lay in the desire to mitigate challenges faced in prior asset management processes, such as disjointed systems, lack of standardized procedures, compliance hurdles, and inefficient workflow control. These impediments had hampered the company’s ability to track key performance indicators (KPIs), manage work effectively, and ensure regulatory compliance. Therefore, Implementation and Governance Collaboration with the company’s newly formed Maximo governance team proved instrumental in crafting a standardized "Corporate" organization within Maximo. This refined model, seamlessly deployed across numerous new sites, incorporated workflows, configurations, Scheduler integration, and customizations. The project team introduced a comprehensive, end-user-oriented solution centered around adopting IBM's Maximo system.

Standardization and Streamlining

Firstly, Novus, in conjunction with the client and vendor, established a corporate template standard within Maximo, ensuring uniformity in processes, systems, and documentation across all assets. This standardization not only facilitated efficient workflow control and decision-making but also curbed scope creep and ensured compliance with PSM regulations. Secondly, leveraging Maximo's robust workflow capabilities, the team designed streamlined processes tailored to end-users' needs, particularly field personnel, reducing time and effort required for various management tasks. Thirdly, through rigorous governance efforts, the team consolidated and standardized standard operating procedures, naming conventions, and roles across all assets, significantly enhancing data quality and management. Lastly, the integration of Maximo Graphical Scheduler streamlined scheduling processes within the Maximo ecosystem, eliminating the need for separate scheduling tools and ensuring a more streamlined workflow.

Results and Benefits

The implementation of Maximo through the company’s corporate template brought about numerous benefits, paving the way for operational excellence and sustainability:

• Achieved immediate efficiency improvements by implementing a unified work order management system and process across all plants and pipeline assets. This approach significantly reduced annual G&A costs and enhanced asset sustainability by optimizing the use of highly skilled staff across all facilities.
• Heightened compliance with PSM regulations, ensuring adherence to stringent safety standards and mitigating regulatory risks.
• Increases in operational efficiency, streamlining workflows, and optimizing resource allocation. This efficiency translated into improved productivity, reduced downtime, and enhanced overall performance across all operations.
• Improvement in data quality and management, enabling more informed decision-making processes and better tracking of KPIs.
• Enhanced data visibility and accuracy empowered the company to make strategic decisions with confidence, driving further operational excellence and business growth.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, the company’s strategic initiatives have positioned the company for sustained growth and success in the competitive oil and gas industry. The scalable nature of the implemented solution ensures that the organization is well-prepared to adapt to future challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. This company’s proactive approach towards asset management enhancement reflects its dedication to excellence and its readiness to navigate the ever-evolving energy landscape with confidence and agility.

Conclusion

Overall, the company’s cloud-hosted implementation of Maximo as a Service has been truly remarkable and exemplifies a successful Maximo implementation. We deeply appreciate the dedication and effort invested in this endeavor by the team, who remain unwavering in their commitment to offer support wherever necessary. The commitment to providing ongoing support underscores the journey towards sustained excellence.