UK-based tech company SRO Solutions has recently completed what it says is a "major digitization project" for the Japanese FPSO provider MODEC in Ghana where the company has two FPSOs deployed.

"The project, part of a series of high value digitization upgrades SRO has completed for the business since 2018, has resulted in a more efficient and accurate inventory for MODEC in Ghana streamlining its onshore headquarters in Accra with its vessels the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah (KNK) in the Jubilee Oil Field, and FPSO Professor John Evans Atta Mills (JAM) in the Tano Ennyera Ntomme (TEN) Oil Field," SRO said.

SRO said that it recently improved MODEC’s system which was prone to ordering errors resulting in stock lying in storerooms for longer than necessary and purchasing orders being raised to order materials that were already held in stock.

"SRO [..] originally improved IBM’s Maximo asset management software by redeveloping all of the workflows in the system, including service requests, work orders, purchase requisitions, requests for quotations, purchase orders and deferrals. It also built in a feature to record shipping manifests to track outbound and inbound deliveries and a label printing function so that all items received are automatically given a barcode," SRO said.

The projects for MODEC took more than 1,300 hours to implement and saw SRO delivering staff training on the new system, SRO said.

SRO senior consultant Jonathan Ritchie, who led the projects, said: “The business processes MODEC was working under were not fit for purpose, with various records being work-flowed to the wrong people for approval and then having to be moved around, resulting in delays. After improving these areas using IBM’s Maximo, we implemented some additional features and functionalities to help with the inventory movements between the vessels and onshore storerooms feeding offshore storerooms, resulting in increased speed and accurate inventory usage and volumes.

"As an example, before implementing these changes in Maximo, if MODEC needed ten of a particular item and there were five in stock, the old system would just reorder ten and the five would remain in stock instead of being used. The new system would just order five.”

According to SRO, MODEC was already using IBM’s Maximo system, but an audit carried out by SRO revealed the software was not being used to its full potential. 

Building up trust in Maximo

"SRO’s first job was to optimize the Maximo system as well as installing its own SDR data replication software, which synchronizes data across the business...Part of SRO’s work has involved training MODEC’s workforce in the software and helping change behaviors," SRO said.

Ritchie said: “Just prior to the latest project, we created a document that MODEC could share with employees to enable them to get buy-in for the improved system, which provided a number of tips for rolling out new functionality to the users, such as ensuring they’re involved as early as possible in the project during the requirements gathering phase and user acceptance testing.

“Because the system was not fit for purpose originally, the level of trust in Maximo when we first started working with them was low, so the challenge has been in building up that trust. The work we’ve done with MODEC has been transformational for the business in saving time and money and improving accuracy in an industry that demands the highest standards.”

Fafa Buama, the computerized maintenance management system administrator for MODEC said:"The recent Inventory Reorder and Expediting project has helped improve upon the core Maximo purchasing and inventory functionality to better suit our business which should lead to direct savings in inventory costs.”