Anyone who has responsibility for the operations or production of a unit, facility or business knows they get hit with conflicting priorities each day from multiple data sources and people. It can be daunting, and the distractions can keep you drowning in detail instead of truly managing your area of responsibility. One way to make […]

In our last entry, we addressed how paper processes cannot compete with the accuracy and efficiency of digital data processing. Today’s entry will take a closer look at the far more practical shortcomings of paper use.  While the human brain is certainly a supercomputer itself, paper documents often require collation, referencing and re-referencing to be […]

If you really think about it, paper was a major disrupter in data recording technology. It was quite the innovation considering it was far more portable than chiseled stone walls and tablets.  We now face a new and welcomed disrupter to data recording technology—digitization. Not only is it portable, sharable, easy to access and far […]

As the oil & gas market continues down the path toward Industry 4.0, there is much that leaders and managers can learn from each other. This virtual panel of plant experts from ExxonMobil, Phillips 66 and Kuraray America will share their best practices for the digital transformation of maintenance and operations for safer, more efficient and more reliable facilities. The presenters will […]

Unplanned downtime is the stuff of nightmares for industrial plant management. Process upsets, wasted product, potentially hazardous events, high blood pressure…all potential side effects of unplanned downtime. Add in the costs of remediation — flared product, media management, overtime pay, hot shot fees, increased safety — unplanned downtime costs can easily run past the million-dollar […]

Why can you track your fast-food pizza, but not see everything in your plant? Or where your rideshare driver is, but not your work progress until the end of the day?  Despite investments in ERP and digital control systems, in the era of Industry 4.0 we still have a gap between our plant goals and […]

Digital workflows automate the routing of documents to users and groups per your current business processes of your organization. A digital transformation effort at your facility that incorporates digital workflows ensures your business processes procedures are followed and is shown to improve team productivity, business process consistency, and communication.  Here are some of the key benefits of automated digital workflows:  Digital documents are easily searchable and adaptable to […]

Picture the following scenario. Your car speedometer only shows your speed every ten minutes, your fuel meter only updates twice a week, and you can only see out of your windshield 50% of the time. Yes, you would still be able to drive your car, but you would also unknowingly go over the speed limit, […]

In the world of disaster recovery and preparedness, we have come across many stories related to accidents caused by chemicals, hurricanes, and equipment failures. These situations are made worse by insufficient and inadequate business continuity and disaster recovery plans. When disasters happen, you need a system that provides visibility into scoping, planning, risk assessment, emergency […]

In our June blog post, we discussed the realities of digitization and how, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will continue to be part of the “new normal” of the Industry 4.0 revolution. We also highlighted four practical steps companies can take to prepare themselves sooner rather than later. Suggestion No. 1—“Don’t boil the ocean, start with […]