McDermott International digitalisation plans in the age of pandemic

Vaseem Khan, Global Vice President Operations Performance & Digital; Head of Energy Transition & New Energies Enterprise, McDermott International talks to Energy Connects about the company’s plan in the digitalisation space. During the interview, Khan said that McDermott International  is heavily investing into collaborative work processes and systems via integrated end-to-end toolsets.

What is McDermott doing in the digitalisation space?

We are exploring three major areas of Digitalisation: People, Processes, and Tools. We have an exciting Digital Culture program where we aim to embed a digital-ready culture through education, upskilling, and engagement. Through this program we raise awareness of digitalisation and equip our workforce with knowledge to utilise digital tools effectively. We’re also focusing on Digital processes and Digital tools with our two flagship platforms: GeminiXD and SubseaXD as well as utilisation of near real-time data analytics to provide actionable insight to our teams.

GeminiXD, part of McDermott’s digital twin program, creates a replica of processes, systems, and assets enabling actionable insights to manage risk, improve delivery certainty, quality, safety, and margins. The goal of maximizing digitalisation on projects is to enable more effective collaboration on projects by enabling cross-functional visibility and action on information between the systems such as iDocs, AVEVA, and Hexagon, working to extend those applications native functionality. 

SubseaXD is McDermott’s collaborative, cloud-based platform that enhances the conception and delivery of subsea projects. McDermott is using the platform to enhance collaboration to develop and install subsea fields significantly faster while lowering overall risk. 

The pandemic accelerated our transformation program. We were forced to think outside of the box to continue executing projects and global operations.

Has the global pandemic accelerated your adoption of more things digital?

The pandemic accelerated our transformation program. We were forced to think outside of the box to continue executing projects and global operations. We were able to see the value of digital solutions in collaboration and communication. Our goal is to build on the adoption of digital tools as a result of the pandemic and use this momentum to continue changing the way we work now and in the future. Ultimately, we want to utilise digital tools to deliver value for our customers.

How did McDermott adapt to the new way of working under Covid?

Work had to be shifted to digital tools in many areas, such as work / action tracking and follow-up.  Projects began to see the value in more real-time availability of data analytics instead of manually collated spreadsheets with a  huge explosion of grass-roots analytics sprouting up.  We implemented remote Factory Acceptance test for critical packages through live streaming with engineering, quality, and vendor teams. We also leveraged technologies like virtual reality for 3D model reviews, which was a major step forward for us as an organisation. 

Projects began to see the value in more real-time availability of data analytics instead of manually collated spreadsheets with a  huge explosion of grass-roots analytics sprouting up.

How are you using digitalisation to embrace the energy transition?

Energy Transition is born digital and most of the players don’t lean on legacy oil & gas processes. Energy transition is part of the future of our industry and it’s amazing how the momentum to greener projects and products has accelerated within a relatively short span. Digital technologies are foundational in the development of Energy Solutions and facility operations, and the confluence of digital and energy transition will be a major part of McDermott's business in the coming years.

What technologies are you focusing on to transform how you do business?

Via a shift from documents to data, we’re heavily investing into collaborative work processes and systems via integrated end-to-end toolsets.  We are looking at virtual reality and augmented reality for 3D model reviews and supplier inspections, respectively. We’re exploring opportunities in Artificial Intelligence to maximise efficiency in repetitive tasks and help us gain insight into large sets of data. Lastly, we’ve made major strides in Analytics where we’re using data to make critical decisions. We’re using data and analytics to drive an integrated delivery execution model, with an aim to enhance delivery certainty.

We are heavily investing into collaborative work processes and systems via integrated end-to-end toolsets. 

Are you looking to collaborate with technology firms?

We are continuing our partnership with Dassault Systemes to further develop GeminiXD, our Digital Collaboration tool. In addition, we’re looking to partner with experienced firms and start-ups to accelerate our digital transformation journey.