ENERGY INNOVATION MONTH FEATURE: Digitalization creates collaboration and efficiency throughout the Supply Chain

Challenge:

Every day multiple suppliers appear on sites delivering various equipment and services needed to maintain operations and support major projects. One late delivery can delay an entire operation with significant cost consequences. Turnarounds pose an even greater challenge. Therefore, it is critical that suppliers know what and when deliveries are required, and that producers can rely on them to execute. Traditional communication tools, including spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls, no longer keep pace with the complexities of the process. Having ONE shared digitalized information system where all suppliers can collaborate with producers in real time, optimizes operations.

Solution:

Site.Work is a suite of cloud-based applications that producers and suppliers use to coordinate equipment and services needed on site. By communicating producer’s planned requirements early, suppliers can be prepared for the upcoming jobs. From general rental equipment such as compressors and forklifts to services such as mobile cranes, industrial cleaning and workforce expertise, Site.Work places orders, tracks deliveries, monitors on-site utilization and assures that equipment is returned on time. Site.Work integrates with producer’s ERP systems to automatically produce actionable work requests in Site.Work.

Not all requirements are planned, however, that is why a real-time system is needed to provide the agility producers require to meet the ever-changing demands of a process operation. From spills that need immediate attention to equipment replacements due to breakdowns, real-time collaboration with suppliers minimizes disruptions that unplanned events can cause.

Our ten years of experience in Alberta Oil Sands has proven that digitalization of the asset management process results in dramatic efficiency improvements. Site.Work applications provide a wide variety of services, including:

Defined workflow and approval process
Requisitioning of rental equipment and services
Forecasting workforce and equipment demand
Supplier collaboration through online information sharing
Daily supplier hours submittal for equipment and labour with producer approval processing (LEMS)
Tracking of assets on site, both rented and owned
Automated alerts on critical scheduled events – fueling, equipment deliveries, and returns, etc.
Data integration with producer ERP Systems
Analytics and Reporting for continuous process improvements

Today, Site.Work manages producer/supplier interactions for the largest Oil Sands mining operations in Alberta, with over 60 different suppliers responding to requests via Site.Work and providing updates as they occur.

Obtaining accurate daily costs has always been a challenge for Oil Sands producers. The LEMS module within Site.Work automatically captures equipment and labour used each day and provides an easy-to-use interface for vendors to confirm or modify actual hours incurred. Producers review the LEMS data entered each day for approval or adjustment. Automatically generated output files formatted to the ERP system requirements make it easy for the supplier to submit their invoices.

Site.Work applications are database-driven, and as such, capture every aspect of a supplier transaction. The analytics module within Site.Work allows the user to interrogate transaction history to discover trends, utilization efficiencies, supplier performance (KPIs), equipment reliability, and more. Automated scheduled reports can be sent to the department manager each day, keeping them informed of their equipment and services costs. Site.Work applications cut costs, drive efficiency, and adapt responsively to changing needs.