EPFC Corp is a Canadian company created through the integration of two complementary companies, Propipe Group and SAW Engineering. Together, they have developed a client-focused model for the engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction of oil and gas projects.

EPFC identified the need to collaborate across its entire supply chain to drive efficiency and manage scalability. As a result, it looked to the market to find the right cloud-based solution to deliver this goal.

Achieving efficiency

EPFC implemented Oracle’s Aconex cloud services in February 2017 across its entire organisation to deal with a number of specific challenges, including tight schedule deadlines; managing the growth of the organisation after outgrowing previous, more manual processes; and ensuring rapid access to the latest design information and documents from all of its locations, including its head office, manufacturing shop and field sites.

EPFC started with a pilot on a small project that took approximately one week to set up. Following the success of the trial, EPFC now uses Aconex across all projects and each project takes between one and three weeks to set up on the cloud, depending on the project size and complexity.

Visible results

EPFC has found that Aconex has enabled consistent and predictable results across its projects. The cloud-platform has provided all stakeholders visibility into project documentation and status. This has also helped eradicate issues around work duplication and version control of documents.

To date, EPFC has seen improved efficiencies around processes following the implementation of Aconex, compared to how they were previously working.

Review cycles are 50 per cent faster, close out and data book creation is 75 per cent faster, and the teams using Aconex now have quicker access to the right documents, saving engineering and document control time. Meanwhile, the centralised trackable information transfer keeps the project moving.

The user-friendly platform minimises administrative overhead and human error, allowing a reduction in personnel hours with higher work output. The increased efficiency and productivity also benefit external service providers and vendors, who can easily share and receive up-to-the-minute information.

Cloud stakeholders

As the Aconex cloud platform is hosted by Oracle, EPFC can provide access for the entire cross organisational project teams. Unlimited access supports complete adoption and a common data environment across the entire project.

The structure of Aconex is ‘neutral’, meaning that each organisation has its own secure space to collaborate internally and also to easily collaborate across the project with external organisations. Since Aconex is an open system, data can be tied into other systems via import/export or application programming interface (API), supporting one comprehensive view across the project.

In-house training and onboarding are provided by the EPFC document management team. Aconex provides a 24/7 helpdesk accessible to all users on the projects, restricted not just to EPFC employees. There are also extensive online training and support materials and videos available to all users.

This article is extracted from a report produced by MEED and Mashreq titled Disrupting Oil & Gas. Click here to download the report

To know more about the MEED Mashreq Partnership, get in touch with us at MEEDMashreqPartnership@meed.com or find more info on www.meedmashreqconstructionhub.com