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The APPEA Journal The APPEA Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Improve operational effectiveness with operations management systems*

Stan DeVries A and Victor Gopu B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Invensys Operations Management, North Potomac, MD USA. Email: stan.devries@invensys.com

B Invensys Operations Management, Melbourne, Australia. Email: victor.gopu@invensys.com

The APPEA Journal 50(2) 739-739 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ09103
Published: 2010

Abstract

This paper looks at three examples that demonstrate how smart operations can reduce the uncertainty to reliably contribute to sustained growth in operations effectiveness.

These relate to:

  1. demand/capability change;

  2. critical asset management; and,

  3. adaptive collaboration across processing/production areas and sites.

While many heavy process industry organisations try to measure and manage the processing/production facilities using the operations effectiveness phrase, many have encountered difficulty in delivering the desired business improvement—whether it is achieving, sustaining, evolving or rolling out. This paper proposes a re-think based on successes in several industries. This paper defines what working smarter really means through making earlier and better decisions that affect the current performance of the processing/production facility and the supply chains. These decisions are often balancing naturally conflicting demands, both between facility and supply chain and between present and future events.

Keywords: operations, effectiveness, adaptive collaboration, optimisation, smart operations, critical asset management

In his present position as Director, Operations Management Solutions at Invensys Process Systems, Stan DeVries is responsible for identifying, defining, developing and helping to implement innovative, yet reproducible manufacturing and business operations management (MOM and BOM) solutions for the company’s customers in the heavy process industries.

Stan has been deeply involved in digital oilfield development since 2002, and he has consulted with a diverse range of national, independent and super-major oil and gas companies with a focus on changing teamwork for improved operations, HSE and business performance.

Victor Gopu has more than 25 years of experience defining, creating and delivering comprehensive, integrated business and automation solutions for the hydrocarbon process industries. His application experience encompasses: digital oilfields; oil movements; collaboration centres; refinery and petrochemical information systems; and, manufacturing information technology.

Victor joined the Foxboro Company in 1998 as V.P. Sales for the chemical, oil and gas business.

Prior to joining the Foxboro Company, Victor worked at ABB Industrial and held various positions including: National Sales and Marketing in Australia; and, Business Development for Hydrocarbon for the Asia-Pacific region.

Victor has an Engineering Degree in electronics and communication and a Masters in computer science.