Weir Oil & Gas

“Asset Management of Equipment with RFID & Mobility for Digital Transformation and Operational Simplification”

When it comes to tracking inventory, in a traditional ecosystem there are challenges that may occur. Although the equipment itself is large, it may be spread across the site. Historically, the serial number of the equipment is etched into the asset or label, but in touch environments, it is time consuming and laborious for employees to read off. In addition, the label itself may be exposed to the elements or on a section of the asset that may be difficult to access without physically moving it.

After retrieving the serial number off the asset, users may go back to a system to log data or retrieve inspection certificates. In some cases, this could be a paper and file system where the user jots down the serial number(s) and looks for the appropriate file. In other cases, it may be going back to a computer and entering in the information. Regardless of the approach, there is potential for error and cumbersome.

Weir is attaching RFID tags to iron manufactured out of its faculties. Across its own service centers and customer locations, users scan the RFID tag to identify key details regarding the asset and perform digital functionality to simplify the management of the assets. For example, the process of retrieving the inspection certificates is greatly simplified and optimized using RFID. A user can simply scan the RFID tag using an RFID handheld and is able to produce the inspection certificates with the click of a button.

In addition, the process of digitally interacting with the asset is also introduced where a user can query details regarding the asset using a mobile application available on iOS, Android and Windows that has been developed by RFID4U. The solution is also available with offline capabilities as well, so the reader can capture and store information until the device comes within range of a Wi-Fi network. Data can also be captured as a list, which can then be sent via email.

With RFID scanners and the RFID system, the traditionally manual processes for managing the assets are automated. As RFID technology can capture many items in a single scan, the amount of time to collect and produce data is greatly reduced. Using the RFID system, the firm has found that the amount of time required has been reduced to less than two hours from the manual inventory-counting process that took three people eight hours to accomplish. With RFID, the count is captured digitally, which eliminates keying and transfer errors as well.

This solution provides a simple yet powerful approach to automate data collection using sensory technologies like RFID and digitize key workflows Leveraging cutting edge technologies like RFID and adopting mobility solutions has helped Weir and its customer base reduce costs, improve operational visibility and simplify management of assets.