PROBLEM:

How should we progress a few R&D ideas developed with clients and internal James Fisher domain experts? With their history in successful collaboration in industrial markets such as Oil & Gas, Offshore Wind, and Marine, IBM was chosen as a preferred development partner. As we began our initial collaboration, we were introduced to their Cloud Garage capability, which is designed to help businesses explore possibilities for using Big data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) in a scalable environment to try to move them from proof of concept (PoC) to minimal viable product (MVP).

Watch the video https://ibm.co/3dOy3VO

SOLUTION:

The first stage was undertaking a large Design Thinking workshop with all of our key technology experts from across our group. As the result of that workshop, our Offshore Wind High Voltage business stood out as having the strongest value proposition in terms of being able to articulate what the high-voltage offshore wind industry’s needs and pain points were. Thus, Kraken was born (our project name, chosen because of the Kraken-like nature of windfarm cables seen from above) came into being as a means of applying data science techniques to problems encountered in high-voltage monitoring and predictive maintenance for offshore wind.

It has been envisioned as a system that combines not only the condition monitoring aspects of the SCADA and sensor feeds from the wind farm, but also includes a 4D component that looks at monitoring over time to determine the rate of development of anomalies within the high voltage (HV) systems and help plan interventions. By adding in weather windows from Mermaid (another cutting edge product we have in our portfolio) and manifest building and routing optimization from OWMS (our marine management system), Kraken was to allow for cradle-to-grave planning and execution of offshore operations in a way that used data science to drive efficiencies into the O&M cycle. Combined with R2S (our award-winning digital twin system), it can also provide the visual asset management and level of data continuity and evergreening maturity throughout the entire lifecycle of the asset, provided the data and documentation are available.

PROBLEM:

An international Oil & Gas independent had multiple digital initiatives and systems and was looking for ways to define a more objective strategy to harness maximum value of its digital capabilities and improve decision-making.

The organisation had various ideas from multiple stakeholders and needed an objective approach to understand better its current pain points, identify improvement opportunities, and define a clear plan to implement its digital initiatives.

SOLUTION:

JF AIS used a user-centric methodology to work through different business issues and delivered two one-day Design Thinking workshops focusing on separate areas where digital solutions were thought to add value

This approach mapped out all ‘pain points’ lying within customers’ workflows and by identifying these JF AIS was able to advise on a customized digital roadmap & implementation plan.

PROBLEM:

Where it starts
One year ago today we started the process of building a digital centre of excellence in the James Fisher family. The goals of this task were simple and straightforward – first to find a home for all of our existing digital technology where our professionals could benefit from collaboration and professional support; and second, to build a new team to drive innovation and to design and deploy new value-adding technologies to our industrial clients. We have succeeded in putting all the pieces together and have created a new business called James Fisher Asset Information Services (JF AIS). We’re very happy to be opening this business to the public with our new website.

Sector specialisms
Experts in our many operating companies work hand in hand with our JF AIS digital team to design products and services that deliver real value and, equally importantly, can actually be deployed in the field. We know how hard it is to adapt to change on industrial projects. We know how difficult it is to undertake a saturation diving campaign, or to manage the high voltage infrastructure of multiple windfarms, or to keep offshore oil and gas assets functioning smoothly with limited staff. We know because we have been there and done it. Our JF AIS staff are trained and certified to travel to, and work on, assets in all of our industrial markets. Our digital team have deployed to offshore wind farms in the UK, Europe and Taiwan; to oil and gas assets in Angola, Indonesia, Canada, Mexico, Dubai, and elsewhere; to large civil infrastructure projects in Europe, Asia, and SE Asia; to marine projects in the UK, France, West Africa, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. We’ve been there. We have the t-shirt.

Design Thinking & Data Science
Design Thinking is a client-centred methodology which allows us to fully understand our clients’ pain points and issues of major concern prior to deploying an existing solution or designing a new one. When we are deploying existing solutions, we run pre-deployment workshops with clients to determine the most effective way to add value to their business model to ensure we can prove the ROI. Often, we follow this effort with support from our Data Scientist team to analyse the objective truth – the data – of our clients’ operations. From these two activities we can build the baseline model of our client operations – and then set about rigorously and methodically to improve how they do business. We want them to spend less on their operations and earn more.

SOLUTION:

Domain expertise
JF AIS has been designed to provide very unique, high-value digital offerings to our industrial clients around the world. We’ve done this by leveraging the expertise inside our own group and by partnering with the best partners available on the market. The Fisher family is full of extraordinary technical domain knowledge and experience garnered from operations in niche, high-value sectors in the marine, O&G, construction, nuclear, defence, and renewable energy markets.

Creating value
What this experience means is that we at JF AIS know how to build and manage digital solutions which materially impact the bottom line of our clients. We understand value and how to measure it. Equally, when we engage with clients we are looking to integrate our solution with our clients business model – to both improve and streamline their operations. If we cannot measure the positive impact we will have on their business model – then we are not the right partner for them. For this reason, we have integrated both Design Thinking and Data Science as two core disciplines into our business.

PROBLEM:

We needed something that would help us save precious bed space onboard our offshore platforms. Non-critical operations staff were an issue. Surveyors, trainees, planners all had to wait their turn but took up valuable space on helicopters and onboard that would be better spent with operations and maintenance staff. So something that would help teams plan more effectively onshore so that they knew exactly what needed to be done, what tools and equipment would be needed and how we were going to do it would make the most sense. We initially looked at 3D laser scanning but that proved too expensive.

SOLUTION:

R2S came to us from the forensic world and immediately caught our eye as something that would give us the perspective we needed to plan our activities. We could navigate through corridors, measure our way through tight spaces where we would move equipment, observe the condition of pipes and valves that might need replacing and position within the images all of the documentation and permits needed to complete the job. We have saved millions in journeys to platforms in the past few years alone. We have now captured all of our assets in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico and are now going beyond to Indonesia, Azerbaijan and Angola. The R2S team have been superb at working within and around our teams seamlessly”

PROBLEM:

The bridges were prone to being hit by large vehicles, despite warnings designed to deter vehicles that were too tall from attempting to pass. London Underground were seeking a cost-effective solution that would enable them to monitor any strikes to their assets and record the offending vehicle(s).

SOLUTION:

JFTS offered a comprehensive solution encompassing a hardware and software package to identify where and when there had been a strike on the bridges, additionally capturing the collision data (such as accelerations) along with vehicle identification. Six accelerometers in total were set up on each of the bridges (four on sacrificial beams either side of the bridge, two on the structure itself). Additionally, two cameras were installed at optimal vantage points to record any offending vehicles in the event of a collision. When a strike is recorded, an automated response is triggered and a report is sent to the client enabling quick analysis and response to any potential fault in structural integrity.

PROBLEM:

James Fisher Mimic was approached by a major cruise line operator and asked to help avoid early failure of turbochargers. The cruise line company declared that they had a population of around 150 large turbochargers.Of these just under 100 were of a particular make and design and due to reasons unknown an average of 4 of these failed (catastrophically) each year. The financial cost to the company was approximately $1,000,000 per year but this did not take into account the hidden costs of dissatisfied customers (passengers) or the very real risk of injury to crew and/or even an increased fire risk that could endanger the whole vessel.

SOLUTION:

After conducting a failure modes analysis (FMEA) James Fisher Mimic (JFM) designed and created a turbocharger monitoring unit (TCM). Data collection involved vibration signatures, gas inlet and outlet temperatures, scavenge air pressure and rotor speed. The units had to be automated and self-contained and accessible from remote (both on board and off the ship). They were to identify rotor deterioration and to indicate this immediately to the vessels control room watchkeepers. The unit was also required to indicate to nominated personnel ashore whenever a turbocharger alert was initiated. Furthermore, the units had to be self-monitoring, such that any failed sensor, inaccurate speed signal, or loss of hard drive had to be flagged to both on board and shore side users.

PROBLEM:

R2S played a crucial role in the security preparations for the 2013 G8 conference of world leaders in Enniskillen. In the months prior to the 2-day summit, the Police Service of Northern Ireland used version 2 of the software to record areas in and around the Lough Eme Resort

SOLUTION:

This detailed a visual record of the venue’s interiors and exteriors and was used as a planning tool by those who had no access to the complex. Closer to the summit, it was then used to brief politicians and security personnel at he highest level.