How Mobile Apps Can Improve the Oil & Gas Industry

What is the first image that comes up when you think of the oil and gas industry? It could be a building site with lots of clunky machinery, construction materials, and hard hats.

However, the industry is fast shaking off its old-school label and rapidly adopting new technology and increasing software development. The advantage of mobile solutions for oil and gas companies lies in the nature of the industry. Mobile applications will benefit workers who are without access to computers and experienced teams.

The need for mobile applications will increase when companies recognize the benefits in automating their processes. The will realize cost savings and competitive advantage by digitizing their paper forms and increasing workforce efficiency and productivity.

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Oil and gas companies invest in mobile applications to increase business growth, improve communication, get real-time visibility across the business. Companies can also close the loop in the oil field with real-time, accurate data collection applications. Businesses improve their productivity by:

Maximizing uptime: Mobile applications help increase the uptime of work which boosts productivity. Field service workers use mobile apps to get quick responses to issues they encounter on site.
Real-time data capture: Mobile apps quickly capture real-time information for field workers. This enables them to speed routine work and concentrate on critical aspects of their job. It is also clearer to decipher information recorded on a mobile than trying to interpret handwritten notes.
Enhancing safety: Mobile solutions are used in remote pipeline inspections, environmental assessments, and to monitor refinery equipment. Mobile apps collect data and assess situations instantly enabling workers to take immediate corrective actions.
Data monitoring: Data used to be entered by hand, transmitted, and then reviewed. All of which can take time. Mobile technologies enable real-time data capture, analysis, and response.
IoT applications: IoT applications can manage automated systems, supply chain, inventory, and customer relations. Oil and gas companies that use an integrated mobile app deployment strategy, add a lot of value to their production.
Environmental benefits: Safety and environmental benefits are achieved by using a mobile application to track water movement and monitor waste streams.

Read "7 Important Ways Mobile Forms Transform Field Service Work"

Advances in the development of mobile devices will aid the oil and gas industry. For those in the field, there are explosive proof phones and tablets. At the same time, network bandwidth continues to increase, resulting in the expanded use of applications. The trend is shifting from stand-alone applications to mobile solutions and industry systems.

Oil and gas companies are deploying various applications across their engineering and operations (including drilling, well management, and EH&S). Applications enable a more rapid flow of information whenever and wherever it is needed. The usage of these apps goes above and beyond capturing data. Teams can analyze the data in real-time and immediately respond.

Until recently, companies needed to send information out into the hands of field employees. Today, mobile devices make data much more accessible.

Read "How to Meet IT Demand for More Mobile Apps"

Leading oil and gas companies use mobile applications to perform asset management, project management, and calibrations. These yield tremendous benefits across their upstream, oil field, and downstream operations. Examples include:

Materials management: Companies use mobile apps for material management for procurement, reordering, and stock orders.
Global supply chain collaboration: Mobile applications support specialist worker collaboration in real-time across the global supply chain Specialists don't need to be physically present at the plant.
Asset management: Mobile apps speed up scheduling and monitor technicians' access to all tools and parts they require to finish their work.
Mobile analytics and dashboards: Mobile applications can monitor drilling operations from pretty much any location. Users can log in online and get an outline of drilling operations. Data shown might include job cost, mud weight, production reports, drilling progress and operation summaries. They can then upload this information onto a mobile app.
Workforce management: Companies typically have hundreds of technicians working worldwide. Managing these resources can be complex and time consuming. Mobile applications help identify, deploy, track, and manage teams of workers.
Electronic logbooks: Electronic logbooks are an efficient way of standardizing processes and managing operations in a scientific way. They also monitor and communicate daily vessel status, reporting via email, and data sync with the back office.
Fuel management: Tracking fuel consumption and monitoring timely refueling is crucial for cost-effective operations. Mobile applications can handle functionalities like consumption tracking, remote monitoring, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Operational efficiency: Employees and contractors can use mobile apps to capture essential information on the spot. They can rapidly route completed tasks to the right people for validation and sign off. Electronic recording of assignments enables the creation of an easy-to-follow audit trail for regulatory compliance.
Regulatory compliance: Mobile applications provide frontline managers and executives with real-time access to accurate and reliable information This enables quick responses to potential safety or compliance risks.
GPS and GIS: GPS, Geographic Information Systems, and Vehicle tracking applications are becoming increasingly widespread in the energy sector. They enable companies to track essential machinery and equipment, which reduces downtime.

Downstream: Downstream mobile applications aid distribution and sales management of packaged products, and integration with PM and ERP systems.
Upstream: Most companies either fall into upstream, midstream, and downstream. Larger companies integrate all three. Mobile app solutions improve upstream operations. These include real-time monitoring of drilling operations, work order automation, and add efficiency to operation, compliance, and maintenance tasks.
Midstream: Mobile apps can automate pipeline and storage inspections, work-orders, and maintenance tasks. Applications also ensure integration with corporate backend systems to ensure adherence with safety and operational protocols.
Corporate: Mobile and tablet applications ensure all the relevant stakeholders are connected and provide an outlook of cost and productivity metrics.

According to the Orange Group, digital transformation will have a significant impact on the oil and gas industry. Digital technologies such as mobile and tablet applications are helping companies become more flexible, agile, and cut costs.

McKinsey estimates that using digital technologies by oil and gas companies could cut capital expenditure by almost 20 percent.
They also predict that total cash flows will be boosted by $11 per barrel across the offshore value chain, adding $300 billion per year by 2025.
Oil and gas applications aid companies in automating their processes and operations and increase productivity and innovation both onshore and offshore.
June Warren-Nickle's Energy Group report that digitalization has improved efficiencies, cost savings, and increased health and safety and environmental compliance.
A report by BCG.com showed that companies that adopted digital technology reduced data interpretation and cost by 50%-60%.
BCG.com also found that digital technology like mobile applications reduces maintenance costs by 20%-40%.

Oilfield mobile applications enable oil and gas companies to digitize their processes, operations and paper forms. This increases worker efficiency by cutting hours spent on each daily activity. It also minimizes risk by decreasing data-entry mistakes and delayed access to critical information. The best oilfield applications work offline, optimize one-handed data entry (speech-to text) and integrate with systems. They populate crucial information automatically for employees, and enable information to be shared across an organization quickly.

Alpha Software’s Alpha TransForm app development software which enables oil and gas companies to build apps for: