The Oil and Gas industry is under constant pressure to improve operational and financial results, improve worker safety, and continue to meet the expected demand for energy. To help meet those challenges, forward-thinking companies within the industry are looking to EPC-enabled RFID solutions to improve flow in their own operations.
EPC-based RFID solutions are delivering benefits in the following areas:
Worker Safety and Security
EPC-enabled RFID significantly increases safety in operations of oil and gas production plants through visibility and enhanced tracking capabilities. Oil and gas companies are adopting this technology to anticipate and reduce the chance of accidents, and provide fast and appropriate help when accidents occur. The technology assures efficient and safe entry-and-exit at all points, deceasing time involved in locating employees.
In an EPC-enabled RFID solution EPC/RFID tags are fitted to portable equipment, and on badges that are issued to staff and visitors. Location information from the tags enables rapid response during an emergency and is used to:
- Identify the exact location of a person or item in real-time- which is especially helpful during extreme conditions with poor visibility
- Identify and track the movement of people or location of key personnel and equipment around the production complex or in sensitive areas.
Asset Management
EPC-enabled RFID saves labor costs and improves operations by providing accurate and real-time location of assets across the entire oil & gas distribution supply chain which can encompass large geographies. An EPC-enabled solution:
- Accurately tracks returnable containers from the shore to the rig and back again.
- Extends asset lifecycles and optimizes asset-related capital through frequent and timely in-line maintenance and repair.
- Enables centralized management and tracking of special restricted areas on offshore rigs or in oil refineries.
Inventory Management
EPC-enabled RFID records the movement of inventory as it moves from locations and through inspection points and captures data with a level of granularity not previously possible – providing the ability to:
- Distinguish between product manufacturing dates, lots, production runs, etc.
- Access real-time inventory levels as well as the detailed historical analytics of product movement.
Work-In-Process (WIP)
Products in production move through a variety of complex manufacturing steps under a wide variety of volatile conditions. EPC-enabled RFID can accurately track these WIP materials during the assembly process while reducing costs. . EPCs uniquely identify and automatically link components with historical data for better quality control and provide accurate and complete records of them as they come together into a finished product – optimizing production, throughput and yields. Ensuring, for example, that:
- The right parts and torque pressures are being used during the assembly process.
- Pipe work joints are properly assembled in the crude supply chain.
Why now? Opening the pipeline has taken on new meaning: innovative suppliers and manufacturers are leveraging new technology today to tighten their operations and strengthen their relationships with business partners and consumers alike. Harness the power of EPC-enabled RFID technology now to deliver goods smarter, faster and more effectively than ever before while setting the basis for huge dividends in the future.
For more information about how an EPC-enabled RFID solution can benefit your organization, please call +1 937.291.3300 or email EPCinfo@gs1us.org.
See the Oil & Gas Brochure.