Lily Chen (Diamond Key International) advocates a pragmatic approach to downstream digital transformation with special reference to terminal loading and management. Digital Transformation is no longer just a buzzword but is the ‘linchpin of survival’. Moreover, Covid-19 has sped-up the digital transformation notably with pressure on business continuity and the need for remote/home working.
DKI provides end-to-end operations support to petrochemical terminals across 28 countries. Chen reported that ‘60% of operators don’t know how to handle the data monster’. DKI’s downstream digital twin helps make the best investment decisions in terms of both financial viability and operational impact. Different investment options to have the same ROI but very different effects on operations.
DKI’s Terminal Information Data Exchange (TIDE) enables multiple sources of data to be integrated into information dashboards, performance trend tables and analyses to provide insights into day-to-day operations. TIDE is particularly effective in understanding and managing terminal alarm flooding. Alarms are ‘slowdowns hidden in plain sight’ and make for a useful proxy for operating efficiency. More alarms indicate inefficient operations, and many are avoidable.
Jeff Diaz (Sullexis) presented a use case for standardizing carbon emissions data. Companies are under pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. But externalities mean that this can be very hard to evaluate. A ‘large offshore operator’ contacted Sullexis to identify carbon footprint reduction in the paint it used extensively for maintenance. This proved tricky as the supply chain was largely outsourced and encompassed many factors outside the operators’ sphere of influence.
Sullexis managed not to get ‘too deep in the weeds’ by attempting a full life cycle analysis of the paint. Instead, Diaz proposed a bottom-up approach ‘working with what you know’. These best efforts/pragmatic calculations may not hold up under scrutiny. More standards for carbon reporting and capture are needed. In which context, checkout Johan Krebbers talk at PIDX which we have promoted to this issue’s lead.
Jay Tchakarov presented ChaiOne’s ‘Velostics’ PIDX-based solution for inbound fuel terminal logistics ‘in the age of Covid’. Current tanker loading is often manual, complex and error prone. Velostics is a smartphone app for contactless data transfer. integration between business partners is starting to catch up to the consumer world à la Starbucks Gold Card app. The app provides a ‘boarding pass experience’ for truckers. Loading and unloading are monitored by flashing a QR code. The system integrates with the terminal management system via PIDX data exchange with order and shipment data translated to a location-based QR code, configurable with fields for customer, ship-to, channel, etc. QR codes are pushed to drivers via text or through the app. At the gate, the code is scanned, identifying the driver and creating the PIDX documentation. A minute or so per truck loading is claimed. Customers include Aramco, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon and many others.
See also Johan Krebbers’ presentation on The Open Group’s Open Footprint Forum which we report on in this issue’s lead.
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