Savi And Partners Launch RFID Solution For Oil And Gas Industry; Wireless System Automatically Tracks And Manages Supplies
Savi, a Lockheed Martin company, has formed an oil and gas strategic alliance with Shipcom Wireless and KBR Wireless, who are offering a complete software solution that links with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to instantly track and manage supplies transported between onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities worldwide.
By automating visibility, asset and shipment management in upstream operations, this newly tailored solution can cut costs and improve performance, efficiency, security and regulatory compliance. The fully integrated solution can help the oil and gas industry minimize rig downtime, enhance asset utilization, reduce manual processing, and lessen data errors, write-offs, shrinkage and theft. Although new to the oil and gas industry, this type of solution already has proven successful in the chemical, aerospace, defense and other industries.
The Savi SmartChain Enterprise Platform and Asset Management application underpin the alliance's combined solution, which leverages real-time data from Savi's active RFID tags and KBR's passive RFID tags, which can be affixed to all kinds of oil and gas assets. As a result, supplies and equipment will be automatically located and managed as they are moved from onshore operations facilities, through port transfer facilities, and finally to offshore rigs. Typical supplies include vital consumable goods and equipment such as risers, choke valves, wire rope, stud tensioners, slings and wellheads, in addition to various containment and transport units that store and deliver material to the oil platforms.
"Already making a difference in other industries, the Savi SmartChain suite now can go to work with our partners to improve operational performance in the global oil and gas sector," said David Stephens, chief executive officer of Savi Technology. "This is a powerhouse partnership with a rare combination of expertise in advanced wireless technology solutions and deep domain knowledge in solving the complex operational problems of the oil and gas industry."
"Our partnership with Savi and KBR Wireless unifies the most effective software and hardware technology platforms within the energy sector to address critical business needs of the industry," adds Abeezar Tyebji, chief executive officer of Shipcom Wireless. "We will leverage Shipcom's footprint of more than 100 successful deployments globally in energy, defense, and industrial processing, to drive an integrated offering that will revolutionize how the oil field does business."
"At a time when it's essential for the oil and gas industry to discover more operational efficiency, our partnership with Savi and Shipcom provides unprecedented visibility and control over inventory and assets across the oil and gas industry's entire value chain," adds Konrad Konarski, vice president of KBR Wireless and co-founder of the Oil & Gas RFID Solution Group, an educational group focused on broad supply chain issues.
The newly offered partner solution works like this: KBR Wireless passive RFID tags are affixed to consumables and assets, which are then loaded into Cargo Carrying Units (CCUs) tagged with Savi's own battery-powered RFID sensor tags. Savi's fixed and mobile RFID infrastructure are designed to collect tag data as the assets move through the supply chain to oil and gas production facilities. Savi and Shipcom Wireless integrated software has been developed to process and manage the RFID data, providing real-time visibility, and transforming the data into reports, analytics, automated alerts and other actionable knowledge on the location, condition and security of assets and shipments.
The system also can utilize environmental sensors to monitor security breaches as well as heat and humidity conditions inside the container that might affect supplies. Real-time information about the contents and security status of the containers also can be integrated into government customs and national security systems.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], Savi is a leading provider of supply chain information and technology solutions and services. These capabilities include real-time solutions based on active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and other Automatic Identification and Data Capture technologies that improve the visibility, management and security of supply chain assets, shipments and consignments. For more information, visit www.savi.com.
Shipcom is a leading provider of integrated supply chain execution software solutions focused on the RFID and enterprise mobility markets. Its open standards platform, CATAMARAN, is a server-based solution that captures and transforms data from devices such as RFID readers and barcode scanners and integrates directly into SAP, Oracle and other legacy ERP systems.
About KBR Wireless LLC
KBR Wireless LLC is a leading provider of automatic identification and wireless solutions for the energy sector. The company supports petroleum, petro-chemical, utility, and mining organizations in defining, building, and operating wireless-based technologies that enhance the organizations operations.
SOURCE: Savi