To ecstatic employees everywhere, more and more companies are moving from dreaded, time wasting daily site trips, stacks of paper records and mind-numbing manual processes to technology to provide answers that are supported by factual data, automating tasks that are driven by analytics, data trends and in some cases even autonomous actions.

Downturns, and all the crazy in our world today have made it clear that the “change or die” mantra is far too real.

You probably already knew this—but you may be hesitant to act. That's totally understandable since there are several questions about transition, affordability, training, the return on investment and so many others. Then there's the sustainability questions that come into play. Tech changes really fast these days and everyone is searching for the next best thing. While tech continues to quickly develop some people decide they should wait it out until the next hottest and newest change is available.

You may ask yourself; where exactly do you get the best possible return on investment when it comes to industrial tech that will help support your operations profitability and sustainability at the same time without it being out of date in just a few months only to have to start all over again?

You’ve probably already decided that digitally transforming your operations is necessary as you face a shrinking workforce and tighter budget dollars. The productivity advantages of a full cloud software strategy implementation are many and well documented.

Like cars, snowflakes and superheroes, no two cloud computing service providers are exactly alike, nor are their customers. So, when picking a cloud software provider, it’s important to know if they can adapt or customize their system to exactly what you need (or don't need), or if you’re supposed to bend your procedures to someone’s limited, out-of-the-box configuration.

Here are some questions to ask before you decide:

1. Can the vendor’s system easily fit with the hardware you may already have?
2. Can the new system seamlessly integrate your historical data with the new input they’ll gather?
3. Are Project Managers available to handle all the details?
4. Will the vendor provide the reports you need, by format, frequency, user authorization and department needs?
5. Do they provide ongoing support?

A key factor in any business’s ability to persevere during challenging times is to stay relevant and adapt to their evolving environment. There’s a consensus across all industries today that accurate data collection and application of this data is necessary to improve business operations.

Even though there may be opposing headwinds across various markets, businesses that focus on what they can control will be better positioned to manage and subsequently benefit when the winds change. The consequences for all industrial business sectors (primary or secondary) could be irreversible if they do not recognize and embrace the age of digital transformation.

In the past few years, as oil and gas prices began to drop and investment capital dried up, ‘business-as-usual’ models began to die a painful death for those companies that did not have a targeted digital transformation goal, or (at least) a strong eye on the prize with an actionable plan already in place.

The digital transformation journey can look very different for each company depending on what (if anything) you already have in place; but there are some pretty easy; highly effective and easy wins you can score right out of the gate.

Measurement schematics is a useful software as a service (SaaS) tool to improve the communication between your field operations, production, and accounting team. Schematics help track the flow of production and troubleshooting measurement issues.

From my experience, most schematics drawings are saved in area files on a company’s network drives with limited accessibility to other people that need access to them. With no server to purchase or software to install or maintain, our team can quickly integrate Emerson's Zedi Measurement Schematics application within the cloud-based Zedi platform that's scalable for remote SCADA monitoring and control of field devices. 

Pipeline leaks can get very expensive, very quickly. Early identification of potential leaks ensures faster response and overall system integrity. Our Cloud based platform system reduces the high cost of false alarms and regulatory fines while quickly reacting to leaks and other abnormal system operations that can rapidly consume profits and endanger safety.

Engineered to provide the confidence your company needs to meet regulatory compliance and environmental requirements.

In an effort to help you better understand the importance of measurement schematics to your operations for Alberta's Energy Regulations (AER) we gathered a list of questions were most frequently asked about, while demonstrating how Emerson's cloud-based Zedi Measurement Schematics application can help meet these requirements.

General questions producers inquire about regarding AER regulation are many, but here are the answers to the most often asked, and of course we're always here to help you with any additional questions or help you may need.

The human information processing system (better known as our "attention span") will choose and arrange sensory input to focus on the appropriate thoughts or behaviors while avoiding unnecessary distractions. Our attention can only handle so much. 

When energy companies deal with alarm fatigue, workers are subject to various alarms (alerts) and consequently become desensitized to them; This leads to longer response times and missed alarm warnings. Alarm control and management are vital to avoiding alarm fatigue. 

The pressure for field personnel to multi-task is high yet focusing on more than one task at a time is very difficult. Alarm fatigue increases the chances of an actual leak going undetected, resulting in significant damages to the environment lease property, revenue, and presenting a hazardous situation until the leak is caught, repaired, remediated.

Easily eliminate the tedious administrative challenges your business faces in meeting regulatory compliance requirements.

Emerson's Zedi Roughneck™ is a web-based Asset Management, Preventative Maintenance (PM), Health, Safety, and Environmental application. Our application acts as a secure single source repository for various documents such as inspection and calibration reports, safety procedures, drawings, invoices, standard operating procedures, and more.

Technology is constantly evolving, leaving many oil and gas producers wondering when the right time is to replace the old with the new. When producers invest in new technologies for their business, they can expect more profits, more production, and more sustainability.

Deciding how to upgrade, or when you're ready to upgrade isn't always easy, but we're here to help you with the change that's involved.