Accenture launches new centre to aid businesses in tech adoption

SINGAPORE — Where workers used to walk along kilometres of oil and gas pipes to check for leaks, drones now do the job, finishing the task in a fraction of the time.

Some of the world’s oldest industries are starting to use technology to transform their businesses, and now they can turn to consulting firm Accenture, which has started a new centre in Singapore to help companies develop new technology solutions and analyse data.

Called the Accenture Internet of Things Centre of Excellence for ­Resources, the company is targeting the resources industries: agriculture, forestry, metals, mining, oil and gas, chemicals and utilities.

“As resources industries navigate commodity price cycles and challenges around talent shortages and rising production costs, technology provides a way to gain a competitive advantage, to help customers navigate any type of business cycle and pursue long-term growth,” said Mr Jean-Marc Ollagnier, chief executive of Accenture’s resources operating group.

For instance, Accenture’s solutions can analyse data that drones collect in less than seven minutes, whereas in the past it might take two workers four days.

Mr Senthil Ramani, managing ­director of resources industries at Accenture, projected that after adopting Internet of Things technologies, the oil and gas industry would see a 15 per cent saving in scheduled repair costs. The utilities sector would achieve a ­10 per cent to 20 per cent productivity gain, by equip­ping workers with wearables to enable quicker execution, for instance. Under the mining and metals sector, there might be a 5 per cent to 25 per cent increase in production throughput from pit to port. These estimates, however, take into account that other factors such as business integration and training would play a part.

Taking reporters on a tour of the new centre today (Sept 23), Mr Ramani demonstrated some benefits, such as being able to take preventive measures when breakdowns start to occur.

For instance, there was a setup in a processing plant that sent an alert to an employee’s smart watch informing him that a control valve failure was imminent. He was able to remotely switch off the pump from the watch before any further damage was done.

“It allows you to tell, remotely, what’s happening at the plant, so ­employees can start identifying problems,” said Mr Ramani.

In Singapore, the company has helped JTC Corp achieve monthly savings of more than 15 per cent in its electricity bills and an average 13 per cent reduction in chilled water use.

The centre plans to employ more than 30 researchers, scientists and engineers with experience in industry and technology domain areas, such as machine learning, advanced machine to human visualisation, and cognitive computing.

“As a robust international trade hub and base for some of the world’s top commodities producers, shippers and logistical supply chain firms, Singa­pore is uniquely placed for companies to use technologies to achieve cost ­reductions, efficiencies and productivity gains, and … to generate new revenue streams,” said Ms Rachael Bartels, managing director of natural resources global industry for Accenture.