Successful industries have successful ecosystems. Today, the oil and gas industry is in a struggle to survive, let alone be successful. Let’s call it a terrible, horrible, no good very bad year. Now is the time for the digital ecosystem to help reshape and reform oil and gas, and capitalize on the opportunity.  Duration: 13m 30s

169 - The Time of the Digital Ecosystem is Nigh

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Description Turnarounds, shutdowns and outages in heavy industry are key processes for keeping industrial infrastructure running at peak performance. Some plants, such as oil refineries, will plan and execute annual turnarounds, during which time accumulated work orders are tackled, substantial repairs or upgrades are executed, and regular maintenance activities are executed. LNG facilities, which are processing a much simpler and cleaner commodity (natural gas), might only experience a turnaround every few years.  Outages can be both planned and unplanned. A planned outage is carefully scheduled so that teams can carry out routine maintenance or equipment inspections. Unplanned outages, which can be caused by fires, equipment failure, or even intense storms, require a more urgent, unplanned and more costly response.  The execution of these key processes (shutdowns, turnarounds, and outages or STO) is very different from normal operations. The workforce for STO is often contingent. Work planning is more demanding. Scheduling and coordination takes on a greater priority. The costs for STO can be exceptionally high, particularly considering the cost of lost production.  Needless to say, STO attracts specialized firms that focus on bringing best in class processes and practices to assist industrial companies improve their STO execution. In this interview, I speak with Ross Coulman, the Managing Director at IAMTech, a company at the forefront of innovative asset management and technology solutions.  For over twenty years, Ross has been leading the industry in simplifying complex industrial processes through cutting-edge technology and software solutions. His hands-on approach and deep understanding of the operational challenges faced by these sectors originated years ago when he first joined an industrial company on a temporary assignment, only to discover the extraordinary level of waste and inefficiency that can plague the industrial asset owner.  Ross is a regular speaker at industry conferences and events, where he shares insights on the future of asset management, digital transformation, and the importance of sustainable industrial practices. Additional Tools & Resources:  

Turnaround Your Turnarounds

In this episode, I’m in conversation with Serge Guzenko, Founder and CEO of Wezom, about custom code. With over 24 years of experience in the industry, Serge has led WEZOM to become an international IT company known for its innovative solutions and client-centric approach in developing custom code. Wezom is a global custom code business. I'm really interested in this niche and critical role of custom software development, particularly within the oil and gas industry. I start by asking Serge to explain the unique advantages of custom software. It's not obvious to oil and gas professionals, who view their businesses as generally undifferentiated, why they might value the flexibility and features that address the unique needs of the oil and gas sector. Custom solutions can be tailored to enhance operational efficiency, integrate with existing systems, and handle complex data management tasks that generic software often cannot. The discussion highlights several key factors to consider when opting for custom software, such as the specific operational needs of the company, unique requirements, and cost effectiveness. Serge points out areas within this sector that particularly benefit from custom solutions. We talk through cost of delivery, the need for ongoing maintenance, and the availability of skilled developers familiar with the industry’s nuances. Looking forward, Serges shares his view of the future of custom software development, featuring increased integration of AI tools that can further enhance the capabilities and efficiency of custom solutions. AI’s role in supporting coding work is only just starting. This episode not only highlights the persistent relevance of custom software development in a world dominated by generic ERP solutions but also illustrates its strategic importance in industries where customization can lead to significant competitive advantages and operational improvements. Serge is deeply passionate about his work and is dedicated to delivering exceptional results for his clients. Throughout his career, Serge has demonstrated strong leadership skills, overseeing a team of over 250 employees and delivering more than 1000 IT solutions for companies, enterprises, startups, and government entities. Wezom worked with projects of such companies as Metinvest, Aptiv, CooperHunter, and JohnDeer. Additional Tools & Resources:  

Tailor-Made Tech

Where Energy meets Facts: Empowering People to Reduce Energy Costs The average western consumer has no idea how much energy they use. It’s not really their fault — the energy system was never designed to give the consumer visibility into their energy consumption. We even measure energy in many different and confusing ways. Gasoline is in gallons. Power is in kilowatt hours. Propane is in pounds.  Structurally, energy companies are not incentivized to provide their consumers with data about their energy use. Collecting the data is a huge exercise in building integrations from various data sources to build up a picture of energy use. Households have many different energy suppliers (power and gas utilities, gasoline retailers), and there are many individual buyers.  It’s not clear consumers will pay for that insight.  Jotson is setting out to challenge that problem and fix it. To quote Mark Little, the CEO and co-founder, it’s baffling that mankind can put people into orbit around the planet, and land astronauts on the moon, but the average household can’t figure out how much they’re spending on energy. By giving consumers real data about their energy use, Jotson hopes to empower people to take charge of their energy consumption and to make better personal choices to reduce their demands on the energy system.  In this interview, I speak with Mark about his start up,  Jotson, and his mission to empower Canadians to manage household energy cost and consumption.  Mark has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the Canadian energy industry, including 23 years at Imperial/Exxon, and most recently as President & CEO at Suncor Energy. During his career, Mark has led large complex organizations working on multi-billion-dollar energy projects, from the conceptual design, development, and project implementation through to operations and maintenance.  Mark has led the startup and operation of large wind, solar, and biogas projects, and is one of the founding CEOs of Pathways Alliance, an initiative that sets the six largest oil sands companies in Canada on a path to reach net-zero CO2 emissions.   He is a board member of General Fusion, and an advisor to both the Coalition for a Better Future and Cycle Capital.  Mark holds two degrees – one in computer science from the University of Calgary, and one in applied petroleum engineering technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He is also a graduate of the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.  From 2003 to 2007 he served as Honorary Colonel for the 409 and 441 Tactical Fighter Squadrons at 4 Wing Airforce Base in Cold Lake, AB; a role that reflected his commitment to the relationship between the Air Force, the community and industry. Mark was also the Recipient of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business’ Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Relations 2024. Additional Tools & Resources:  

Where Energy meets Facts

Marketplace Launched! The upstream oil and gas supply chain is about to get a much needed boost in procurement efficiency with the launch of a new e-commerce marketplace. Such marketplaces are very common in the consumer industry (Amazon being an example), but rare to non-existent in oil and gas. Despite years of investment in big enterprise systems, buyers of goods for the upstream industry still have to wrestle with supplier-specific ordering portals and search, complex and out of date company product catalogues, which hampers price discovery, procurement efficiency, and price discovery. Time-pressured oil and gas project managers just bypass the agreed procedures, and order directly using procurement cards, which erodes the value of strategic sourcing agreements.  Imagine the possibilities of a marketplace specific to Canadian upstream oil and gas. Oilfield Marketplace Canada (or OFMP.ca) is a descendent of the very successful Oilfield Marketplace solution in the US but specific for the Canadian marketplace, with items that are certified for use in Canada and with Canadian prices and availability.  Check out this conversation with Steve Copeland, the general manager of the new Canadian Oil Field Marketplace. Steve spent 12 years with Cameron, and later with SLB after their acquisition of Cameron in 2015. Steve is from Calgary, and had an early career in field service gradually progressing to the role of National Sales Manager at Cameron. Additional Tools & Resources:  

Propelling Procurement

Australia is the lucky country when it comes to energy transition. The country is blessed with ample non-renewable energy resources, including gas, coal, uranium, lithium, and oil. In addition, the country is bathed in sunshine, surrounded by coastlines and tides, and is largely empty, suitable for wind farms. The LNG sector is now incredibly important to the national economy. Australia is 20-25% of global LNG production, one of the top 3 largest producers, and operates 10 gigantic plants serving mostly Asian markets. However, the country's energy resources are struggling with energy transition challenges. The historic basins that provided the populous southeast with natural gas are drying up and the country hasn't been able to mobilise a suitable replacement. The demand for Australia's energy products is creating upward price pressure on the domestic market. The country is at risk of not growing its LNG trade past its current size. In this interview, I speak with Jody Rowe, a commercially-focused specialist who has a strategic view of the broader Australian market. Jody has worked in agriculture, mining, and oil and gas industries in roles that span commercial, contracts and procurement at a number of multinationals including Barrick Gold and Rio Tinto, in both Gold and Uranium commodities. Her work has included executive roles on one of Australia's pioneering coal seam gas to LNG projects. Additional Tools & Resources: 

169 - The Time of the Digital Ecosystem is Nigh

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