Asset support

The projects that P&T designs and builds become the assets that Shell businesses operate to make the products that customers buy. For this reason, extracting maximum value from assets is of key importance to Shell. Moreover, we are committed to running them in such a way that they result in no harm to people or the environment.

In this context P&T’s asset support serves three purposes:

• to enable today’s production and manufacturing facilities to reach their full revenue-generating potential by maximising their availability, throughput and product quality;
• to allow facilities to generate revenue for as long as possible without interruption by avoiding shut-downs and production deferments; and
• to expand the revenue-generating potential of tomorrow’s assets by incorporating performance-improving techniques and technologies into them.

All three purposes can be significantly helped by proactive technical monitoring (PTM). This involves placing digital sensors throughout a manufacturing facility, from where they transmit data that can then be analysed to generate reliable notice of incipient break-downs or machine failures. By giving such advance notice, PTM allows preventive repair work to be carefully planned and any necessary maintenance work to be prioritised. This helps to prevent unnecessary production deferments worth millions of dollars. In 2019 alone, PTM helped Shell deliver $130 million in additional revenue due to avoided production deferments, increased availability and improved performance.