Setting the asset intensive industries up for the future

(This is repost of a joint announcement published via IBM https://www.ibm.com/blogs/nordic-msp/setting-the-asset-intensive-industries-up-for-the-future/)

Collaboration and information sharing is key to both improved business efficiency and more sustainable businesses across a broad range of asset intensive industries. That is why Sharecat developed a unique information exchange platform, supported by IBM Cloud, in a secure and optimized environment. The platform offers individual users across various industries an opportunity to benefit from the efforts of thousands with a platform constructed to provide a critical mass of timely, reliable, accurate and accessible equipment and plant information in standard formats.

Over the last two decades Sharecat has developed and implemented an information management platform for the global energy industry that is used to help support their clients’ assets and teams working on projects and operations across the world. The platform delivers significant benefits for its users, including reducing the volume of documentation and decreasing the time and resources necessary for handling information, spare parts and inventory. Sharecat’s existing client portfolio customers include three of the top twenty global chemical operating companies and several global energy and engineering companies.

“Through our platform, we are helping our customers modernize work processes to actively engage and collaborate with partners, contractors, and thousands of equipment manufacturers and suppliers. As a result, they are realizing improvements in efficiency and sustainability, as well as reducing the time and cost for handling asset information,” said Dag Pettersen, CEO of Sharecat Solutions.

Powered by Red Hat OpenShift and IBM Cloud

When Sharecat wanted to optimize their offering to provide their clients with a more scalable, secure, and modern platform, they looked to IBM’s solutions and expertise:

“There were three main criteria that we used as a basis for identifying with whom we wanted to collaborate,”  Pettersen continued. “We were looking for a competitive cloud service offering; container technology enabling agility, efficiency and independence; and last but not least, a broad industry network, experience, and active support in the B2B market for asset intensive industries. IBM together withRed Hat OpenShift checked all of our boxes.”

Managed OpenShift on IBM Cloud enabled Sharecat to conduct seamless deployment across various cloud providers and environments, ensuring flexibility and adaptability to meet industry-specific needs, such as local content requirements. IBM Cloud supports the platform’s growth by providing scalable resources to maintain optimal performance as the platform expands and evolves, in a secure environment and in accordance with local regulations.

“Today, organizations rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. Sharecat found an area of opportunity to help its clients become more efficient and productive through a portable, scalable, and locally compliant information exchange platform for asset-intensive industries. These are the innovations that companies are looking for to accelerate their business growth,” noted Lars Kristensen, IBM Public Cloud, Leader NCEE -Northern, Central & Eastern Europe.

The path towards a greener ecosystem

Over the next 12-18 months, Sharecat’s portfolio of clients across the globe will be migrated to the latest generation platform. The launch customer for the new Sharecat™️ platform is one of the largest chemical companies in the world with world-scale chemical facilities under construction at a new site. They are currently in the process of implementing and rolling out the platform for these projects, which are expected to take 10 years to develop.

Sharecat’s platform enables and supports new business models for the industry stakeholders like on demand production of equipment and parts, 3D printing and digital support services. This novel collaboration creates value for all industry stakeholders while at the same time reducing the amount of materials needed, thus helping asset heavy industries in their shift towards more sustainable business processes.

Production of equipment and parts on demand, combined with virtual inventories, are enabled through this common and shared platform, and will significantly reduce the extraction of non-renewable materials and energy emissions related to manufacturing, transportation and warehousing of the components.

The environmental requirements for asset- and energy-intensive industries are driving the need to build new solutions, which in turn requires sizeable investments. The business efficiencies gained from companies utilizing the platform will help reduce the investment cost and time required to meet their sustainability goals.

About the platform:

·       Utilizes modern technologies and is built in line with Industry 4.0, through interaction with the Industrial Digital Twin Association and selected key members of the IDTA.

·       Deployed and adopted by major global industry initiatives for the energy and chemical industries (IOGP JIP33/JIP36, Digital Data Chain consortium) and some of the largest asset owner corporations in world.  

·       The platform is API driven and integrates with any system requiring technical asset information from a single and validated source and with capabilities to increase value derived from IT- investments.

For more information, contact:

Lars Kristensen, IBM Public Cloud leader NCEE: larsk@dk.ibm.com

Dag Pettersen, CEO, Sharecat: Dag.Pettersen@sharecat.com

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