Our software and IIoT platform enables operators to improve processes, enhance investments and maximize returns on their assets as they lean into an autonomous operation. A recent example of this includes how our experts have developed one solution to assist your operations in optimizing rod pumps using AI (artificial intelligence): Emerson's Zedi Autonomous Rod Pump Management.

Decisions, decisions...

It's mind blowing when you think about how much time most of us spend on researching different decisions today; household purchasing decisions, cooking decisions, child care decisions, car buying decisions, vacation destination decisions, even simple things like the best way to clean something decisions - any decisions life throws our way today we grab our phone or run to the computer to look and see what are the options, best practice, best deal and then move forward.

Now, think of your employees who spend hours sorting, cleaning, detailing and organizing operational data from multiple databases, locations and spreadsheets to simplify data enough to make a least one informed business decision.

I just gave myself heartburn thinking about that.

How companies operate and use their data will significantly impact how successfully (or not) they run their operations. With Emerson's Zedi Cloud Platform, we simplify the connection between sensors to get you the data you need to make better business decisions to achieve better-performing assets, streamlined compliance, and optimized resources.

The Great Resignation is far too real for most production companies to keep up with—in the past couple of years many workers are leaving old jobs to find opportunities that are better aligned to their professional and personal values and goals that usually also come with bigger paychecks, more benefits and even larger promises of bright days ahead.

Some people have left the oil and gas production industry all together to take a new path that isn't as volatile or have joined organizations that don't trigger extended family meltdowns at holiday dinners because select narratives don't support oil and gas production.

These are the same types of pressures on people as they start their career that usually pushes them away from the energy sector all together into something 'safer' or what they have been told is more socially acceptable also add to the workforce shortage.

More aspects of oil and gas operations are joining the autonomous operations revolution. Now the iconic rod pump is enabling significant improvements with its operations regarding efficiency, safety and production.

The sun is actually rising on a new rod pump era with Emerson's Zedi Autonomous Rod Pump Management that is now changing the way producers and operations work each day for the better.

What was once endless trips to the well site with only two typical outcomes, both of which are a problem: It’s working fine, so no trip was needed; or it’s been down for two days and someone should’ve been out there to make repairs and restore production—or clean up a spill—hours, or days ago.

The world moves pretty fast these days with all the constant change from every direction. To stay ahead of all the crazy it's important to consider all your options and then move quickly to implement your strategy into action.

It wasn't all that long ago many companies were faced with difficult decisions, and few of those difficult decisions are harder than layoffs. It's never an easy decision. But in a downturn, it’s a necessary evil to save the company as a whole—with great hope you can welcome those same talented people back when the inevitable upturn happens.

The hard truth is that before that upturn actually happens many of those talented people will have retired, switched career paths, started their own business or even traded their safety glasses in for sunglasses in a tropical paradise.

Companies can now measure almost every single aspect of business activity due to various analytic tools and management software. Often, they have advanced datasets to explore their performance because there are so many metrics to measure.

While navigating various datasets, anything outside the norm would be considered an anomaly. Different anomalies can have an enormous impact on business decisions, operational results, and management’s ability to respond rapidly and accurately.

Alarms can be used to monitor data for anything out of the ordinary, like catching smalls deviations and alerting an operator to a possible situation before it escalates. Setting up alarms on your assets enables you to prevent physical and economic loss through faster operator intervention and response times.

How many alarms can an operator effectively handle per day? ISA 18.2 states that, ideally, one alarm per 10 minutes can be taken care of without sacrifice to the operator’s other duties. Two alarms per 10 minutes are identified as manageable.

Efficiency and profitability are the top reasons for so many operators to take advantage of Emerson’s Zedi Autonomous Rod Pump Management. Using autonomous operations to solve pump issues, boost oil and gas production and reduce operational and work-over costs give you tens of thousands of reasons ($$$$) to join the rush. It’s a key part of any well planned digital transformation strategy.

But just as important on the investor side can be its safety benefits—and those gains take a little more digging to find, but once you see them and the positive impact it makes on ESG factors you'll wish you had them years ago.

The next wave of technological advancements is emerging. New technologies are expected to reduce the number of workers required to perform specific tasks while increasing demand for other skills.

A digital workforce is a workforce with personnel focused on high-value tasks and empowered with actionable data from digital technologies and services that lead to improved decision-making in daily operations. Similarly, a digital worker is considered an individual that applies actionable data from digital technologies and services to make improved decisions, automate manual functions, increase productivity, or convert information into revenue. 

More talent will be retiring in the next couple of years, making it more crucial than ever for you to strategize your workforce by upskilling your people to continue running operations effectively.

Government regulations mandate Oil and Gas companies to sample gas and liquids composition regularly. Production and operation staff must manage scheduling samples, verifying lab results, and submitting to regulatory bodies.

From coordinating sample collection to analyzing the results, you need a tool that performs core functionality well and helps you optimize your workflow to save time and money.

Emerson's Zedi Composition Management (ZCM), is a web-based application to help oil and gas companies organize their sampling program in a single repository, allowing them to streamline scheduling, approvals, notifications, and update end devices in the field.