15% NPT Reduction Through Mobile Field-App Automation

The latform in focus is a semi-submersible production asset commissioned in the early 2010s, producing roughly 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Like most mature deepwater assets, the facility faced increasing maintenance complexity — aging equipment, high personnel turnover, and limited connectivity creating bottlenecks in reporting and work execution.

Before the initiative, average monthly NPT hovered between 11–12%, largely due to three recurring issues:

1. Manual task reporting and delays in work order confirmation — technicians completed paper forms during rounds, which were later re-entered manually into SAP PM, often 24–48 hours after the task.
2. Disconnected data silos — sensor readings, inspection notes, and vibration trends were stored in different systems with little cross-visibility.
3. Inefficient handovers between shifts and crew rotations — tasks in progress were frequently duplicated or left incomplete due to inconsistent documentation.

These inefficiencies not only eroded production uptime but also increased administrative burden on maintenance planners and supervisors.

The project team defined three primary objectives before launch:

• Reduce NPT by at least 10 % within six months through faster maintenance execution and reporting.
• Standardize and digitize inspection workflows to ensure real-time visibility across maintenance, operations, and reliability teams.
• Establish a data foundation for future predictive analytics and condition-based maintenance across Client’s Gulf portfolio.

The engineering and operations teams collaborated to deploy a Mobile Field Workforce and Task Automation App designed specifically for offshore environments. The system combined ATEX-certified tablets, a custom mobile interface, and seamless integration with SAP PM, SCADA, and vibration-monitoring systems.

Technology stack and deployment:

1. Hardware: Ruggedized, intrinsically safe tablets rated for Zone 1 use, equipped with barcode and QR-code scanners.
2. Connectivity: Local Wi-Fi mesh combined with a store-and-forward offline synchronization engine capable of holding data for up to 10 days.
3. Software: Role-based app modules for inspection, corrective maintenance, and safety rounds. Each module pulled equipment metadata directly from the SAP master data structure.
4. Integration: Real-time sync with OSIsoft PI for condition readings and with SAP PM for work order creation and closure.

Workflow transformation:

• Digitized inspections: Technicians received task lists automatically prioritized by asset criticality. Each task required photo or video verification and auto-timestamped geolocation tags.
• Automated escalation: When predefined thresholds (vibration, pressure) were breached, the app automatically generated a corrective work order, alerting both offshore maintenance and the onshore reliability team.
• Shift handovers: The app’s live dashboard displayed task progress and pending issues, reducing duplicate work and ensuring consistent visibility during crew rotations.

Change management:
Over 40 field technicians were trained through short, on-rig sessions. Early adopters from the maintenance and HSE teams acted as “digital champions,” ensuring high engagement and quick issue resolution.

After full deployment across three work centers on the platform:

1. Overall NPT fell from 11.2 % to 9.5 % in the first quarter, and to 9.0 % after six months—a sustained 15 % reduction compared to the pre-project baseline.
2. Maintenance reporting lag decreased from 24 hours to less than 15 minutes, as data synchronized automatically when connectivity was restored.
3. Duplicate work orders dropped by 40 %, driven by real-time task visibility.
4. Supervisor planning time reduced by 25 %, freeing approximately 6 hours per week per planner.

Beyond operational gains, the digital task database provided a new layer of reliability insights—allowing engineers to identify recurring failure patterns and prioritize equipment replacements proactively.