Test designs in a virtual environment before they are built

Continuing on the topic of executing the vision of digital and AI with the operating model of the future, our most recent webinar took a closer look at LNG Canada’s transformation journey and how a digital performance model (DPM) is helping them succeed.

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If you missed part one of the series, get a re-cap here to learn more about why companies think digitalisation is lagging behind and how a DPM solves specific problems when it comes to a strategic, holistic approach to digital.

Below is a summary of the main topics discussed during the session. Thank you to Neala Mark, asset excellence manager at LNG Canada, for taking the time to discuss LNG Canada’s strategic digital approach and sharing helpful advice about applying a DPM for improved energy efficiency, reliability and performance.  

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The key differentiator

When it comes to applying technology for increased transparency and improved decision quality, what makes the digital performance model approach novel? Closing the loop from decisions to patterns, outcomes and the delivery of results.  

When working with clients like LNG Canada to close the loop, the first step is to look at their current or planned operating model and build a blueprint that helps them achieve their defined objectives.

“Usually, organisations break things into manageable chunks to design the asset, but we look at what we are going after and what data would help us make high-quality decisions first – and then built our structures around that. That enabled us to get specific with the foundational capabilities we needed in place from day one, from a technical, system and behavioral standpoint. We had our digital asset before we had our physical assets, it’s a novel approach if you look at other major capital projects in the industry.” Neala Mark, Asset Excellence, LNG Canada

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Setting up for success from the start

LNG Canada, the first LNG facility in west coast Canada and a world-class facility of its kind, engaged around digital design from the beginning of their construction phase. The blueprint and organisational structure were created as integrated entities from a data and work processes perspective. Activating these simultaneously can be difficult, so some starting points were identified:  

• What will add immense value for the critical periods of commissioning and startup?
• What behaviours need to be built into the organisation to create a culture of acceptance for doing things differently?
• What needs to be done early on because they won’t be worth doing later?

To overcome these and similar challenges, the DPM focuses on high-frequency events of low value – think control loop tuning, filter changeouts and shift handovers, for example – where straightforward decisions can be augmented by AI, giving workers the opportunity to engage with the environment and see the whole loop of decision-making by having a digital asset for a physical twin.

“Think digital first and use only the data you need. On the other side of that are the metrics and logic, helping you link the data to outcomes. For a shift handover, this would mean seeing the status of the last shift in seconds, seeing what isolation plans were done and not done and understanding the dynamic tasks required from the worker for their individual context in their current shift. By helping people make good decisions often, you are creating feedback loops and encouraging people to engage.” Grant Christie, Vice President Business Transformation, Kongsberg Digital

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LNG Canada’s biggest win to date: increasing uptake

From the start, the digitally built asset was open access for everyone to explore and use. Through this process, users were leveraging use cases that the implementation teams hadn’t thought of yet – capabilities that weren’t necessarily specific solutions to problems were offering more functionality than initially realised.  

“We didn’t do a great job of being proactive about understanding how people would use this, how they would explore and the decisions they would make… we started engaging with everyone on how they are using it, and this helped drive adoption in the organisation.” Neala Mark, Asset Excellence, LNG Canada

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Unlocking the a-ha moment

The trend of holistically transforming the industry through a strategic DPM approach continues to resonate. The key is understanding how to use digital where it’s strongest.

“We’re all emerging and learning how to do this as an industry, and multiple industries. The biggest a-ha moments we’ve seen are around where to get started: In the counterintuitive segment of high-frequency, low-value services where organisations can engage early on and easily, providing a way to make better decisions that are more transparent.” Grant Christie, Vice President Business Transformation, Kongsberg Digital

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Companies that make faster, higher-quality decisions win

At the end of the day, LNG Canada is not about building a new west coast facility. It’s about building a world-class LNG facility that happens to be on the west coast of Canada, designed digitally and deployed optimally, setting a new standard for the rest of the world to follow.

Once the DPM is built in to enable high-quality and faster decisions across the board, people are equipped with the same technology that they use in their homes for their daily industrial work. The companies that embrace digital and engage the workforce accordingly are going to win. This is happening now and will only accelerate.

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Taking the first step

As a first step to digital transformation, LNG Canada suggests selecting a digitalisation partner that deeply understands their superpower.

“Lots of providers have solutions, but if they don’t have the ability to understand and integrate otherwise siloed information and data, they can’t translate this into solving problems and driving better decision-making. Find a partner that understand their capability and can apply it to more than just one problem.” Neala Mark, Asset Excellence, LNG Canada

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Current approaches to digitalisation struggle to deliver scale and impact. At Kongsberg Digital, we believe that data is increasingly critical and strategic. An end-to-end DPM is the only viable way for companies to apply digital for scale and impact. Want to continue the discussion?
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