How Data Is Driving Energy Projects of the Future

With the ability to optimise design, manage supply chains, conduct predictive maintenance and more, digital twin technology is powered by data. And so, the data must be trustworthy and system-ready.

Following socio-political pressures towards net-zero, the war in Ukraine has compounded the dire need to advance energy development. EPC contractors and owner-operators need facility systems that optimise output while minimising impact. The future of energy rests at the interface of productivity, sustainability and innovation. That interface is where data-driven technology, including software solutions and enabling digital partnerships, reside.

Jon Bell, MODS CEO says, “An effective digital transformation strategy uses data to optimise project and operational efficiency as well as to facilitate partnerships working towards a more sustainable energy future.”

Data-Driven Reality

Energy facilities of the future will capitalise on a wide range of existing and emerging digital technologies rooted in data. These include digital twins, drones, combined IT/OT (information technology/operational technology) platforms and mobile hardware.

Take construction digital twins, for example. Digital twins deliver virtual realities for running a construction site. With fidelity to the physical on-the-ground asset, users of construction digital twins can easily strategise approaches, prepare for worst-case scenarios, as well as optimise people, workflows and processes. Reality is our Construction cutting-edge digital twin offering suitable for use with both brownfield MODS Connect™ and greenfield MODS Origin™ software.

Reality seamlessly integrates clients’ existing systems and provides a real-time 360-degree facility and/or asset view populated with equipment, process and workflow data thereby enhancing engineering, inspection, scheduling and work execution. Matthew Bell, MODS’s Chief Product Officer says, “Reality isn’t just a tool for management, it’s a practical assistant to front-line, hands-on workers tasked with monitoring, surveying, repairing and building projects.”

Digital twins are poised to dominate the future landscape across every aspect of the asset lifecycle. Innovations of this ilk rely on accurate and comprehensive data capture to simplify construction, processes and workflows. This unparalleled ability to remotely visualise, monitor and in some cases operate physical assets is why 89% of companies believe that digital twin strategies will transform their approach to operational excellence1.

This data is pre-existing in the form of design schematics, component specifications, as well as regulatory protocols and the like. To harness the potential of emerging trends such as construction digital twins, this information must be reliably and consistently captured in digital format.

Digitising information so that it is complete, accurate, formatted and accessible is achievable with an experienced digital partner. Matthew says, “Our [twenty] years of hands-on industrial experience have helped position MODS as a trusted technology supplier that simplifies complexity in environments where schedule and safety are paramount.” Partnering with the likes of JGC, MODS is driving DX in the energy sector and beyond, ensuring data is system-ready, enabling operational efficiencies.

Data-Driven Construction

Participating in the data-driven energy transition requires practical tools that allows businesses to remain competitive by increasing operational efficiencies and reducing environmental impact. The energy sector, through facility construction execution, as well as asset operation and maintenance can turn to JGC, long-term partners and investors in MODS, for inspiration through their use of data-driven technologies such as Advanced Work Packaging (AWP).

Modernising the energy sector through data-driven technological solutions such as AWP advances workflow efficiencies with direct decarbonisation impact. MODS Origin™ Construct module, a tried and tested greenfield AWP software solution, reduces downtime and minimises instability. Optimising operations in this manner holds the key to 99% of “known technological solutions to decarbonisation”. Asset integrity management, through MODS Connect™ and other sophisticated software solutions powered by data, minimises rogue emissions.

Matthew, says of the importance of data in asset integrity management: “Data-driven systems and processes ensure that you have reliable, accurate and consistent information throughout the lifecycle of your asset. With the right digital systems in place, this information is easily accessible, providing access to quickly analyse, predict, and schedule maintenance at the right time. Conventional systems lack the control, history and visibility that data-driven systems provide. All of this leads to a more efficiently run asset, driven by data, so that you can avoid unplanned downtime and, in turn, escalating costs.”

Software solutions such as MODS Origin™ Construct module ensure environmental compliance through operational oversight and user-friendly, accurate reporting features that enable businesses to understand and communicate operational impact. When data is managed as a single source of truth, communications with all stakeholders from regulators to clients and subcontractors is made simple.

The key enabler of digital construction tools in the development and maintenance of energy and other industrial facilities revolves around partnerships. DX partnerships with software service providers such as MODS enable global collaborations and keep energy businesses operating at the height of efficiency.                 

Data-Driven Partnerships

Essential to the success of any DX strategy, the right digital partnership protects data integrity and is predicated on trust. Further, the right digital partner has industry experience in the field in which they serve. MODS brings twenty years of project experience in the energy-sector experience, which ensures the software solutions MODS Connect™ for brownfield and MODS Origin™ for greenfield are firmly rooted in on-the-ground realities.

Technologies used in Construct and Reality modules rely on trustworthy data, which is why experience matters when going digital. With an experienced digital partner like MODS at the helm, these tools transform piecemeal and error-prone information into reliable decision-making tools, delivering onsite realities to anyone anywhere and facilitating global collaborations. MODS works together with clients to digitise asset, system and process information, readying it for more advanced tools to ensure smooth project communication among stakeholders.

MODS CEO, Jon Bell, speaks to the benefits of data-driven communication: “Thousands of documents, drawings, and plans in paper format make information management and communication vulnerable to error and confusion. The simplicity and efficiency of paperless systems remove these barriers to effective remote communication. This creates positive project outcomes that will keep the energy industry relevant in the context of Industry 4.0.”

Data holds power. With the potential to connect systems and domains, data-driven software solutions MODS Connect™ and MODS Origin™ break down all manner of information silos.

Interoperability of Industry 4.0 requires a strategy achievable only through effective partnerships. MODS software is modular, customisable and works with existing systems so that it’s suitable for use throughout the entire lifecycle of any digital transformation journey that involves construction execution or asset maintenance.

With broader scope and availability of innovative software solutions, and more accessible and affordable supporting hardware, the DX Return on Investment (ROI) is increasingly attractive. But for EPC contractors and owner-operators to pull the trigger on digital solutions, a credible roadmap is required. MODS can help evaluate the value proposition and look at the DX journey holistically, partnering from digital infancy to digital maturity and beyond.

Hardware and software technology is only part of the picture, it all starts with data. Digitising information is the first step and requires the right partner capable of making data system-ready. Internal expertise, particularly with regards to integrating legacy IT and OT systems, is sorely lacking. Mismanaged digitisation processes risk losing historical data, inadvertently create new silos, or default to a series of unsustainable quick fixes. Partnering with MODS will break down data silos and ensure data integrity so that it is reliable, accessible and primed for interoperability. This will take energy-sector businesses into the future.

Data-Driven Success

Digitising information with the right digital partner, and adoption of advanced software solutions such as MODS Connect™ and MODS Origin™ that integrate with existing systems, free up engineers and executives to focus on high-impact issues that advance energy development into the future. MODS, with independent engineering experience in the field and through established industry partnerships, bring a unique range of agile and modular software solutions to help clients do just that.

For more information visit www.mods.solutions

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