A top ten Oil & Gas company in the USA relies on the Ekho Industry 4.0 digital solution for Performance Management in Operations, Maintenance, Safety and Security

This Pipeline Company uses Ekho to monitor and control the operations of 1000’s of miles of pipelines, transfer stations and shipping terminals within the United States, for the handling of crude oil, refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas and chemicals. Over one million barrels of crude, refined products, natural gas and chemicals are transported through the network on a daily basis.

When your mission is so demanding, operational performance and safety are of the utmost importance. You need to have as much meaningful information on hand as possible, in order to monitor operations in real time, and to react quickly to events impacting operations – events such as leak detection, pressure loss, pipeline breaks, abnormal operating conditions, and equipment failures. More importantly, is the ability to have the information available to be proactive to counter the impact of unplanned events – events such as human errors, equipment failures, encroachment of marine traffic, or natural events such as earthquakes and forest fires.

The Ekho software is interfaced to real time data collection systems throughout the pipeline network, pulling data from sensors, gauges, and control systems, and capturing images from a broad array of cameras covering the network. The software is also interfaced with the national system for tracking earthquake activity (USGS), and with satellite systems for capturing information about forest fires, marine traffic and oil sheen.

The Need

This customer turned to Ekhosoft for a digital solution that could :

• Facilitate user transformation from a forms-based system to a mobile digital solution
• Improve accuracy of record keeping of events in Operations and Maintenance
• Provide early warning of events potentially impacting safe and secure operations
• Ensuring more effective and timely control over Operations
• Providing easy to understand status views for Operations and Management personnel
• Avoiding revenue impacting delays in Operations and Maintenance
• Provide analytical tools for review of network performance and identification of bottlenecks
• Provide advanced technology for identifying risks associated with Operations

Prior to implementing Ekho, the company was using handwritten sheets maintained in logbooks. While this system was easy to use, it was prone to errors – errors of omission – errors made because there was no way to validate an entry – no way to search for information for a particular event on a given piece of equipment – no way to search for similar events on similar units. It was virtually impossible to develop a history of events for a particular piece of equipment. It was a time consuming and cumbersome process to create backup copies of the logs – and audits by government agencies were painful to say the least. More importantly the information was usually recorded at the end of the shift, and other than by going and looking into the various control systems, there was no real time information available about the status of operations, and there was no system for Alarms and Notifications to alert Operators or Management to actual, or developing events which could seriously impact Operations.

The Solution

Ekhosoft’s answer was to deploy its off-the-shelf Operational Performance Management modules for Electronic Logs – Tracking Operating Events – Monitoring Equipment Status, Performance and Downtime – Managing Safety Procedures – Risk & Disaster Avoidance – Alarms & Notifications – along with the Ekho Intelligent Data Warehouse for analysis and reporting, and creating Dashboards and KPI’s. The solution was configured to meet the customer requirements
– not the other way around.

“ The opportunities for application of this configurable, scalable and extensible software solution are limited only by your imagination”. Senior Operations Engineer, Pipeline Company

DIGITALIZATION

All of the event data for Operations and Maintenance is now captured electronically either through interfaces to related systems or through the use of electronic forms. All incoming data can be verified for accuracy and curated prior to entry into the data base. Once the data is in the system it can be used to perform all of the required functions in Operations and Maintenance, including Risk Avoidance.

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

In addition to providing the digitalization at the Operations level, Ekho also provides an Intelligent Data Warehouse for storing a complete history of all of the event related data. This data is used to perform basic functions like creating daily reports, or equipment history summaries, and also to produce audit reports for government agencies. The Data Warehouse is also used to do performance analysis using dashboards and KPI’s, and can be used for advanced functions like Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics.

INTEGRATION

Ekho delivers ultimate flexibility in integration with related business systems and industrial processes. Data interfaces with gauges, sensors, PLC’s, SCADA Systems are typically fed through a data historian such as the PI System from OSIsoft, or collected using OPC connectivity. Interfaces with common business systems such as those for Maintenance, Quality or ERP are handled with standard API’s.

OUTCOMES

“Our operators are more engaged in using electronic forms and the Ekho applications. I am confident this will lead to improved data accuracy, better ownership of responsibilities, and improved performance in Operations and Maintenance” said the Senior Operations Engineer.

“We have already had one experience where we avoided a major calamity in the Gulf of Mexico. Our control room operators noticed a ship was slowly moving towards an area of one of our underwater pipelines. Using the ship information in the Ekho system – making contact with the Coast Guard and them in turn making contact with the ship – it was determined that the ship was supposedly at anchor, but was drifting and dragging the anchor. With the information in the Ekho system we were able to identify the problem, make contact the ship, and avoid a possible disaster”.

“Another area where we have seen an amazing benefit is in reduced travel into the field for Operations personnel. Previously, when we were aware of a situation, we had to dispatch personnel into the field for a firsthand look at the problem. Now, with the advanced monitoring and analysis in the Ekho system and the use of cameras to pick up real time images from the site, we can do most of our analysis remotely and send resources in only when necessary This applies to abnormal operating conditions on the network, as well natural events like earthquakes and forest fires”.

About Ekhosoft 

Ekhosoft is a leading provider of operations management and operational intelligence software solutions for the industrial sector. Our mission is to provide industrial companies with flexible, scalable software solutions that can be used to drive improved operational performance – leveraging data to streamline workflows and optimize operations. Ekhosoft has been generating value for our industrial clients around the world for over 20 years. Ekhosoft is part of Power Factors, a 275-person organization serving global markets with solutions for renewable energy and industrial applications through offices throughout North America, Europe, and the Philippines. Learn more at ekhosoft.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.   

The largest vegetable producer in Canada relies on Ekho I 4.0 digital management and performance software to optimize production

When you’ve met all the challenges of growing the perfect vegetable, you don’t want to run into problems once it passes the farm gate. VegPro is Canada’s largest producer of vegetables farmed in its own fields before being washed, packaged and shipped to the tables of discriminating consumers. You might recognize the Fresh Attitude brand packages at your local grocery store. With farms and packing plants located in southern Quebec, British Columbia and Florida, VegPro strives to supply its customers across North America with maximum freshness all year long, and in under three days! When your mission is so demanding, operational performance becomes of utmost importance, says Daniel Morin, IT Director at VegPro. Mr. Morin has been with VegPro for nearly two years. While VegPro’s success on the farm has been a consistent strength (as millions of fresh produce lovers would confirm), the company identified opportunities for improvement in the efficiency and performance of its washing and packaging operations. In a business where perishability is an issue, production downtime, response time and enhanced visibility into scheduling and operations were all areas for improvement.

VegPro turned to Ekhosoft for a digital solution that could assist with:

• Improving user adoption of operational management and performance systems

• Improving response time to revenue impacting production events

• Improving accuracy and eliminating duplication of production event data

• Gaining more control over product and process quality

• Clearer visibility into performance and causes of variability

• Reducing production and delivery delays

The need

Prior to implementing Ekho, the company was using a manufacturing execution system from one of the big-tier providers to the food and beverage industry. It was complex, difficult to use and inflexible. “We simply could not configure it to match our processes and users were getting frustrated,” observed Mr. Morin. VegPro also had a prior separate paperless factory system in place. The forms were too basic, could not be adapted to VegPro’s specific processes, and did not allow for advanced capabilities such as automated event responses or reaction triggers. The result was that operators’ use of the forms was waning and, perhaps due to their mounting frustration, managers began to see errors and deficiencies in data gathered through those forms. The lack of user adoption and difficulty in having prior systems match their process lead to inaccurate data, slower response times to production events and ultimately created the risk of production delays.

The Solution

Ekhosoft’s answer was to deploy its off-the-shelf MES modules for Electronic Logs, Production, Quality, Downtime, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and KPI Management. The solutions were configured to VegPro’s actual processes and delivered significant improvements in event-data accuracy, workflow adherence, and performance monitoring and analysis. When asked why VegPro chose Ekho, Mr. Morin said, “I knew Ekho, I knew what it could do and I trusted the technology. I knew it would resolve the issues we were facing with our previous systems.”

Automation

Not only can all production event data now be captured electronically, but the Ekho forms are easy to use, easy to configure and align with VegPro’s processes. They cover quality control, metal detection and pH controls, and can be digitally signed. Where appropriate, they can be used to intelligently respond to events with automated triggers and reactions based on VegPro’s business rules. Monitoring and Analysis — Ekho monitors and analyzes performance and OEE at the line and factory level. Data — ranging from chlorine levels in cleaning basins to factory temperatures —are provided in real time. Dashboards comparing performance of different lines and factories highlight operational gaps and help drive new efficien-cies. In the case of production events, stoppages are recorded, categorized and analyzed. Real-time KPI dashboards support speedy resolution

Integration

Ekho delivers ultimate flexibility. Ekhosoft deployed its solution for VegPro at the same time the vegetable producer was implementing a new cloud-based ERP platform. Once the ERP is in place, Ekho will be fully integrated with it, supporting a bi-directional flow of information such as production orders, inventory transactions and quality data. The solution is already integrated with OSISoft’s PI System to make use of real-time infrastructure for collecting and sharing process related data. Integration with Power BI provides the capability for users to generate their own dashboards, KPIs and reports.

Expected Outcomes

Although only just in the post-implementation period, VegPro reports that Ekho has already yielded clear efficiency gains in production processes. In addition, its real-time OEE and performance reports have significantly reduced stoppage times and associated lost production. This is one of Ekho’s biggest advantages, according to Vegpro. “Now, our operators are more engaged in using electronic forms and the MES applications. I am confident this will lead to improved data accuracy, improved OEE and, ultimately, very satisfied VegPro clients,” said Mr. Morin. On the factory floor, operators who had experienced frustration with the previous system report that they love to use Ekho forms. They find them easy to use and they prevent data inaccuracies. Operators also appreciate how the automated workflows and action triggers provide them with a defined process to follow. Production is now better planned, structured and executed. With Ekho in place, VegPro can rest assured that manufacturing operations are optimized for it to delivery fresh vegetables within its 3-day target!