Volume 1, Issue 7 / 2008

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Barrels, Btus, Bits and Bytes

Some say the economy is heading toward a recession, but the mobile technology industry and its complimentary social network industries are apparently heading in a different direction. Rutberg and Company recently reported that a billion dollars in venture capital flooded private wireless companies in the last three months alone. These investments are not insignificant as companies like Zannel snared $10MM, Kyte grabbed $21MM and Pelago closed on $15MM.

The U.S. Government’s Energy Information Administration short term energy report has just been published with some interesting statistics. Domestically, we are going to produce 5.15 million barrels of crude oil a day this year and with projections to produce 5.36 million next year. Natural gas production is increasing 8 percent this year and will taper off towards 3.7 percent growth next year. Gasoline prices will continue to climb through 2009, but the residential natural gas prices have peaked and are projected to decline next year.

Most of this information is good news for the energy production industry and for the mobile technology industry. Why? The oil and gas production sector has always been a catalyst for innovation in mobile technology. In most cases, this industry is managing assets in the most remote regions, under the harshest conditions and with the highest need for real time information and reporting. This trend started with the early adoption of microwave communications, satellite phones, data collection software and even laptop computers. Today, smartly managing those barrels and btus begins with maximizing the bits and bytes of information in the field.

Engineers and operators have many of the same communications challenges as yesteryear, but there is a new wave of technology capabilities that lessens the effort to build and manage the infrastructure needed to maximize investment dollars. Our customers and partners have been giving us some previews of these advances and we are eager to share them with you.

If you are interested in hearing more about this new wave of technology, please contact me at clint.parr@goanyware.com.

Sincerely - Clint Parr
 

eLynx Technologies is a leading provider of web-based monitoring and field automation services to the oil and gas industry. With their SCADALynx product, customers use the online solution to monitor flow computers, compressors, pipelines, tanks, artificial lift devices and more, enabling real-time production surveillance and control. Understanding their customer’s needs, eLynx determined that a mobile version of SCADALynx would add value to their product.

eLynx Technologies teamed with Anyware Mobile Solutions to build SCADALynx Mobile Edition. Anyware staff first met with eLynx to make sure they had a complete understanding of the product, how it was being used by their customers, and fully documented their expectations for the mobile version. Anyware immediately went to work on the design. Once eLynx approved the go-forward plan and design documents, Anyware delivered a complete product in less than one month. With SCADALynx Mobile Edition, their customers can use a BlackBerry device to retrieve and update relevant well site data.

“Our customers need an application that is easy to view, navigate and update from a mobile device”, said Ryan McDonald, Director of Information Technology at eLynx. “Teaming with Anyware was the logical choice based on their expertise and ability to respond rapidly.”

eLynx listened to their customers and saw the business benefits of taking their existing application and making it mobile. Their customers now have the information they need - literally in the palm of their hands - making SCADALynx even more valuable to them. Anyware Mobile Solutions, leveraging our deep knowledge of Blackberry and years of experience in mobile application development, delivered a successful product – on time and on budget

Do you think you have a product or process that would benefit from going mobile? If you do, let us know, we will work with your to create a successful solution.

The United States currently has over 1,900 drilling rigs searching for oil or natural gas. These rigs are distributed from New York to California and utilize significant human and technological resources that are constantly on the move. In some cases, expensive tooling and instrumentation is deployed around the country and tracked using spreadsheets, phone messages, and emails. The mobile nature of these tools and the environments in which they are used can lead to lost or misplaced assets which can lead to accounting headaches and rig downtimes. However, new software and mobile technologies are enabling contractors and service companies to implement formal asset tracking applications for loss prevention, sales planning, and overall accountability.

Drilling contractors utilize hundreds of tools and parts through the course of a job. Rigs running 24/7 can receive deliveries and make shipments anytime day or night. Although these parts are usually tagged with serial numbers, low light and harsh environments can make identifying part numbers and part owners a difficult task. Technologies like bar coding, RFID, GPS, and web-based software are offering rig managers and accounting departments new ways to track and report on mobile assets. These types of mobile applications utilize cellular or Wi-Fi connections to transmit data and continue to work even when they are disconnected from the Web.

Closely managing and recording the location of assets can benefit more than just the accounting department. Operations and sales can also use this information to streamline job scheduling and to identify potential synergies between job tooling requirements. Legacy data about past drilling environments and asset utilization can provide engineers with much needed performance data to help design and deploy new solutions. All of these benefits can lead to increased awareness and more effective planning and support across organizations.

Asset tracking applications enable organizations to assign ownership throughout the life of the tool.Reporting and traceability offered by these applications ensures that individuals are aware of tools in their possession and enable them to maintain an inventory record in remote locations. This accountability is clearly important for most organizations and can be measured by the value of the assets being tracked.

Drilling contractors and suppliers have a vested interest in maximizing tool utilization and managing the risk of losing tools. A well designed asset tracking application can provide owners with the ability to track inventory regardless of piece parts, location, and customer. It will also provide a means of recording usage and performance data for future analysis by engineering or resource planning groups. By assigning responsibility through asset tracking applications, organizations enable individuals to meet inventory expectations and follow-up to ensure an asset is headed to the next job. Contact Anyware Mobile Solutions to learn more about asset tracking solutions available to drilling contractors and suppliers.

“Custom solutions for off the shelf prices!” Corny? Maybe. Accurate? We think so. Anyware has been defining, designing, delivering and supporting mobile solutions for over ten years. Historically we have focused on building custom solutions specifically to meet the needs of our customers. We focus first on understanding our customers’ processes and existing systems, then we focus on making sure that we meet the needs of the end users. Most mobile solutions that fail do so because end user acceptance is poor – no one took the time to understand how the end users performed their jobs or what their skill sets were.

The greatest benefit of a custom solution is the fact that the hardware and software can be very easily tailored to each customer to ensure that they don’t have to change the way they do their work. Additionally, with a custom solution, you can always ensure that the end users get a solution that they can easily work with. For the most part, when purchasing a packaged solution, companies either have to change their processes so that the software functions properly or customize some portion of the software to meet their needs. The biggest benefit of a packaged solution is that they are typically less expensive than paying for a custom built solution.

Over the past several years, as Anyware built custom solutions for many different customers, we created what we refer to as the “Mobility Framework”. Using standard mobile development tools, we have created a “tool box” that contains many re-usable software components. This means we do not have to re-invent the wheel each time we build a solution. It also means that our customers receive a “custom” mobile solution for the same price it might cost to purchase an off the shelf package and have it implemented. Our customers get the best of both worlds!

If you are interested in a mobile solution that specifically meets your needs, give Anyware a call at (800) 401-8740

BOOM! Funny? Not if you work in or around work areas that have the potential for spark, fire, and/or explosion. In areas such as chemical plants, oil and gas drilling sites, oil off-shore platforms, etc, it’s imperative that “Intrinsically Safe” mobile devices are selected to ensure the safety of the mobile user and others working with him.

Many ultra ruggedized mobile computers include intrinsically safe (I-Safe) specifications or approval ratings. Understanding I-Safe approval ratings can be a difficult proposition for even the most informed customer. Intrinsically safe areas are hazardous environments where flammable gases, vapors and liquids are stored and manufactured. These areas are prevalent in many of today's manufacturing facilities including chemical plants, paint manufacturers, oil refineries, textile mills, etc.

Each designated hazardous environment has specific certification requirements for all equipment used in the I-Safe area. Intrinsically safe equipment must carry a label, which specifies the exact I-Safe rating for the equipment and the name of the NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory) who tested it. Testing laboratories have very stringent certification requirements that vary according to the level of I-Safe approval desired. Therefore, each intrinsically safe device is certified for different levels of I-Safe approval, and can only be used in specific hazardous environments. The bottom line is that close attention must be given to the specific I-Safe approval certification for each individual piece of equipment.

Just because a device has an I-Safe rating, does not mean that the device can be used in any I-Safe area. I-Safe approval certifications are made up of multiple classes, groups and divisions that correspond to the specific hazardous environment a device is approved to operate in. Each class consists of two divisions and certain classes have multiple groups. For example, Class I includes flammable gases, Class II includes flammable dust, and Class III includes flammable fibers. Each class has two divisions. Division 1 includes environments where explosive material is present in the air at all times. Division 2 includes environments where explosive material is stored in sealed containers, and explosive material is only present for short time intervals (when a failure occurs or during maintenance). Also, Classes I and II are broken down into groups that correspond to the explosive properties of each specific material. For example, Group A includes Acetylene and Group E includes aluminum dust. In addition, I-Safe approval ratings differ significantly from country to country. A device that is I-Safe certified for use in the U.S. may not be certified in Europe. In June of 2003, I-Safe equipment used in Europe or with many European-owned organizations now require an ATEX certification. This certification is an attempt to standardize I-Safe approval ratings. ATEX or (Atmospheric Explosibles) has been set by the European Union and incorporates standards set by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Comission) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization).

Needless to say, understanding the differences between I-Safe approval certifications can be a full time job, and can make the purchasing decision for an I-Safe device a very difficult and lengthy process. Anyware can help match the correct device to your solution. Contact us for more information.

Anyware University - October 2, 2008
Mark your calendar now! The next Anyware University is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, OK. Anyware University is designed to provide business leaders with information on how mobile technologies can improve their business processes while providing a high rate of return. The October Anyware University will focus on how mobile technologies are improving asset management processes across a wide variety of business environments. If you would like to attend this Anyware University, or simply need more information, please contact us.