According to Mark Hutcherson, director of operations excellence for ConocoPhillips, adopting connected-worker processes is driven by his company's ongoing quest for optimal efficiency.
"We're seeing a significant ramp up in well count and production in the coming years, and what's happened traditionally is our workforce is going to grow proportionally, so we know we have to do things differently in order to stay in business and stay profitable," Hutcherson said.
As margins then shrink proportionally, Hutcherson said ConocoPhillips recognizes it must take advantage of technology "that's in the forefront these days, stop relying on manual processes or inefficient processes in our field, and take advantage of this new mobility that's already available," he said as a member of a panel at the Intelligent Automation in Oil and Gas event. "It's not about reducing the workforce -- it's keeping our staffing levels consistent even when our well count in our facilities continues to increase significantly in the coming years."
Joining Hutcherson on the panel, Julie Thyne, global continuous improvement lead for Dow Inc., said that when Dow started its journey toward the connected- worker process, its main driver was personal safety.
"We did a whole lot in that space by using robotics, eliminating confined-space entry hours and things like that. That was a great way for us to get started because it was a platform that we, as a company, could all get behind," she said.
More recently, Dow's connected worker impetus is more about improving operational asset reliability, Thyne said.
"We want our assets to run the best possible way that they can," she added. "Connecting our workers and getting more digital tools out there helps us improve operational reliability, but it also helps us improve productivity, which helps us make better choices in this tough economy."
Getting the right mix
Thyne noted it is essential to rely on a well-prepared team of stakeholders to drive a successful connected-worker project.
"Sometimes we find that it is operational excellence or continuous improvement people who are leading in our connected worker initiative," she said. "It's most important to get that right mix of people who have the right skills and experiences, and that's not always the typical chemical engineer or the mechanical engineer we might be hiring to join our companies."
To that end, Dow established its Digital Operations Center.
"We had to get a little bit creative, and we brought in people who are graphic designers and computer scientists and data scientists," she said. "We're used to hiring from the degree programs we've hired [from] for a hundred years now, so we're learning how to work with those different groups."
Thyne emphasized the importance of making sure the end users of these applications are involved in the connected-worker journey.
"It's great for data scientists to sit in a room and come up with what they think is a great idea, but asking operators what their pain points are and what they need before you get to pilot stage can help you better deliver what they're looking for, versus what you hypothetically think they might want," she said.
Walter Pesenti, global petrochemical operational excellence manager for BP, said he agrees with Thyne that operational excellence can drive implementing connected- worker processes.
He also noted companies make "a huge mistake" by not understanding people must be part of the equation "before you actually do the technology," Pesenti said. "It is key that is up front."
"As far as the key stakeholders and the business being the driver, you have to have the right digital people around," Pesenti concluded. "In the past, it used to be the other way around: You had to have digital leading and business following. Now, business has to drive. There has to be a real need in order to address that need in the field."
