How px group protects UK’s energy security with safe, efficient and compliant operations
px group delivers innovative management and engineering services for high hazard and highly regulated environments and has over 25 years of experience across the UK and also have experience in UAE, EMEA, Africa and South America.
CLIENT
px group
INDUSTRY
Energy
LOCATION
St. Fergus
COMPANY SIZE
300
St Fergus designated as critically important to the UK’s energy supply
px operates and is duty holder for the St. Fergus Gas Terminal 40 miles from Aberdeen. St Fergus processes natural gas from numerous UK and Norwegian offshore fields, on behalf of North Sea Midstream Partners as the owner of the St. Fergus Gas Terminal and FUKA pipeline.
The UK Government, via the health & safety executive (HSE), has designated St. Fergus as a top-tier COMAH installation due to its critical importance to the UK’s energy supply. The terminal must meet the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations ensuring that businesses:
“Take all necessary measures to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances. Limit the consequences to people and the environment of any major accidents which do occur”.
So, how did px meet this challenge?
They needed to put the right processes and systems in place to ensure safe, efficient and compliant operations. Their focus on innovation led them to use digital technology, specifically Arnlea’s software to meet this challenge.
Here’s what px’s Electrical Control and Instrumentation (ECI) Lead Steven McDuff had to say:
“St Fergus is a complex COMAH installation and we have full accountability for the safe, efficient and compliant operation of both the gas terminal and the pipelines. Working with Arnlea and using thier software enables that operation to function as seamlessly as possible.”
Enabling that project to function as seamlessly as possible
The criticality of St. Fergus allied with their drive for innovation and continuous improvement means px must ensure their systems are as up-to date as possible. So in 2019, the business was one of the first to upgrade to the new software release which included moving from legacy handheld devices to Windows-based tablets.The project included the supply of tablets and associated equipment for their inspection teams. The Zone 1 tablets are Windows10 supported and ATEX-certified.
This long-term relationship meant that the Arnlea team was able to understand px’s specific needs for the St. Fergus Gas Terminal. As a forward-looking business, px naturally recognises the role and changes digital technology brings. Although the upgrade was a big jump from the handheld devices their inspection teams used prior to the tablet version, the functionality was instantly recognised as being of commercial benefit to px.
Upgrading to the new software and tablets in good time, and ahead of many others, means that their inspection team is already using the latest tablets, rather than end-of-life legacy handheld devices, demonstrating they have truly embraced and appreciated the business value of Arnlea’s SaaS solution.
Ultimately, px is now even more confident in ensuring safety and continuity of operations at St. Fergus, thereby helping secure the UK’s future energy supply.
Our strong relationship with the px team means that we are able to innovate our software whenever required, in order to meet px’s ongoing and ever-challenging operational demands.
Arnlea's software also offers
- Compliance with IEC 60079 standards
- Support of your HSEQ protocols
- Easy integration with SAP and Maximo
Arnlea's software enables a quicker turnaround of faulty and ineffective equipment because of its Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) platform. With some companies in our industry still using pen and paper or Excel spreadsheets for their inspections, Arnlea seeks to raise awareness of the possibilities digital transformation offers.Working with Arnlea’s software, inspectors’ efficiency is improved by an average of 150%, when compared to using paper recording systems, freeing up teams to focus on other areas of responsibility, and delivering higher productivity. In short, Arnlea's software saves time and money, improving productivity, morale, and job satisfaction, which also saves businesses money in terms of staff retention.
Arnlea is committed to improving clients’ operational excellence, compliance, asset integrity, and reducing their operations expenditures.
