Sukhvir Singh Panesar

Development of a framework for industrial service innovation management and coordination

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify different service innovation drivers, innovation process activities and to understand industrial services innovation management and coordination, as well as to develop a framework for industrial service innovation management and coordination.Design/methodology/approach – The study involved collection of information and data from the literature and the Norwegian oil and gas (O&G) industry. A survey was conducted to get an overview of existing practices and guided interviews were conducted to confirm the findings of the survey.Findings – The study indicates that the market needs are considered the most important innovation process driver, feedback from the customers is the most important activity to encourage service innovations, whilst return on investments is the most important decision‐making factor in evaluating innovation feasibility. Employees are the most important source of innovation ideas. Furthermore, interactions between different companies, as ...

Industrial service innovation through improved contractual relationship

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to discuss various contractual issues that could encourage industrial service innovations with special reference to improving operation and maintenance process effectiveness of complex and advanced production facilities in the capital‐intensive industries.Design/methodology/approach – A case study was performed to study the influence of contractual relationships on industrial service innovations. The study focused on contractual relationships between service companies that sell operation and maintenance services to production facility operators in the Norwegian oil and gas industry.Findings – The case study shows that service innovations are desired in most of the operation and maintenance contracts, but existing contractual relationships most often do not support innovations. Moreover, contract duration, contract type and control mechanisms can influence cooperation and collaboration during contract execution.Research limitations/implications – The findings are based...

Industrial service innovation growth and barriers

Industrial Business-to-Business (B2B) services are becoming increasingly important for industrial growth and competition. As the markets are becoming more competitive and globalised, companies need to focus on improving existing services and creating new services. Innovation in services is a complex process and many barriers are encountered for companies that do not have experience in service innovation. Based on a study in the Norwegian oil and gas industry, this paper maps recent industrial B2B service growth and innovations. A number of innovation barriers are identified and discussed. Furthermore, the paper draws attention to the need for development in industrial service sourcing strategies, relationships, as well as contractual and performance issues.

Industrial services innovation process: influencing factors - a case study

The purpose of this paper is to understand the intricacies (why and how) of service innovation processes and to validate factors influencing innovation processes in capital-intensive industries. A case study was performed in the Norwegian oil and gas industry to map motivation, mechanisms and challenges in innovation processes in service receiver and service provider organisations. Innovation process influencing factors were identified and validated. The findings indicate that for the service receivers the main motivational factor to innovate was to find solutions to existing and future operational needs, whilst for the service provider was to become more competitive and to improve market position. Resources, routines and control mechanisms for innovation process varied in different scenarios. The findings are based on a case study with companies from the oil and gas industry in Norway. This paper is limited to knowledge and technology-based services required to support operation, maintenance and support processes of advanced and complex production facilities.

Assessing Maintenance Time, Cost and Uncertainty for Offshore Production Facilities in Arctic Environment

Many of the oil and gas fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf are entering their tail-end phase of the production life cycle, and the production in temperate areas is slowly declining. Thus, the oil and gas industry looks northwards, and this trend can be seen in all countries bordering the Arctic. Arctic conditions in the form of climate, darkness, ice, remoteness from infrastructure, etc. will cause different and bigger strains on the human factor of the working personnel and machinery than can be seen in more temperate areas. Furthermore, the fact that less data exists – in the form of both statistics and experience of the operation and maintenance strategies to be executed in the Arctic areas – poses additional challenges for the design of offshore production facilities to be used in the less familiar environment of the Arctic. This paper introduces and discusses a method for maintenance cost and time assessments and their uncertainty, using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The method is to be employed when designing for operation and maintenance in Arctic conditions of offshore production facilities. The proposed method can enable a decision maker to assess and adjust maintenance time and cost data more realistically.

Identification of Factors Causing Time and Cost Overruns in Offshore Petroleum Modification Projects

Many of the production facilities and technologies operated on the Norwegian Continental Shelf are getting older and need to be modified to maintain the production performance at the desirable level. Each modification project is unique, and therefore needs to be evaluated and verified with consideration to all specifications. However, the oil and gas industry experience shows that the execution of modification projects within predefined time and cost are rather an exception, than a rule. In this paper we identify and discuss some of the factors that cause time and cost overruns in offshore facility modification projects. Furthermore, we discuss alternative cost methods to improve the quality and the accuracy of costs and time assessments.

Improving Periodic Preventive Maintenance Strategies Using Condition Monitoring Data

Due to reduction in petroleum production and aging production facilities, the Norwegian oil and gas industry is interested in optimization maintenance strategies and reducing costs. Currently the maintenance strategies are based on predetermined periodic (calendar or use time) preventive maintenance strategies that are developed based on statistical data and/or recommendation from the manufacturers. One possibility currently being explored is to use condition monitoring data available in the process monitoring system, to update and improve the predetermined periodic preventive maintenance strategies. Furthermore, we discuss some issues and challenges of the integration of available condition monitoring data in the planning and optimization of predetermined preventive maintenance strategies.