Best Practices in Operational Excellence to be theme of major oil, gas & petrochemicals conference in the MENA Region

OpEx 2013 is officially supported by the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association [GPCA]

Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC), an independent consulting company, has recently announced a major new conference. OpEx 2013 will be unique and highly topical in that it will focus on Operational Excellence in Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals. EPC believes that subject is particularly relevant to the MENA region at this time, given the huge capital investments that have taken place throughout the region, and the economic uncertainty, which is impacting global demand for products and services.

Companies are increasingly aware that to survive and thrive, operational excellence must become a way of life. The conference will provide a major platform for sharing best practices and staying up-to-date with current thinking, showcasing the latest industry trends and best practices worldwide.

OpEx 2013 has the all-important endorsement of the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association [GPCA]. GPCA Secretary General Dr Abdulwahab Sadoun says “Euro Petroleum Consultants is a member of GPCA and we see this event as adding value to our other members and to our industry. We are pleased to support OpEx 2013”.

With the significant investments made by companies in building new facilities, there is now a very strong recognition of the importance of optimising asset performance in order to achieve the expected return of investment. This is why companies must focus on implementing and sustaining Operational Excellence strategies in order to drive performance to the very highest levels.

“Those companies that fully embrace Operational Excellence will be the ones to thrive as they drive performance to the maximum. They will achieve flexibility and agility and, as a consequence, will have greater organisational strength. The starting point is to understand what is best practice in all aspects of the operation. This is true for all industry players, whether they are producers, EPC contractors, technology providers, equipment suppliers or consultants” said Andy Gibbins, Vice President, MENA for EPC. “In hosting OpEx 2013, we are delighted to be creating a platform for discussions and a forum for sharing best practices in such an important subject area”

The participants at OpEx 2013 will have the unique opportunity to hear a wide range of views on best practices relating to People, Asset Optimisation and Technology. They will obtain first-hand information and hear about case studies,  from companies who have already achieved success in implementing operational excellence. “There is a lot of very good work taking place in many companies and these companies are justifiably proud of what has been done. What is more, they are willing to share what has been done, so that other companies can learn from them.” Said Gibbins

However there are still companies that are under the impression they have implemented a model of operational excellence, when in fact many of them have actually adopted a model of integrated asset management that is mainly focused on health and safety or process safety management. OpEx 2013 is aiming at providing its attendees with a clear understanding of what is Operational Excellence and point out all the benefits it would bring, if properly implemented.

The conference will have three main themes – People, Assets and Technology, being the main pillars on which a successful operational excellence strategy should be based on.  The speakers will explain the basis of true operational excellence that goes way beyond HSE & PSM and reaches all the way to organisational excellence, maximised reliability, optimising costs and driving performance through technology in order to achieve overall improvement of efficiency.

Some major companies have already confirmed their presentations at OpEx 2013, including Honeywell, Shell Global Solutions, PIC, KNPC, Tasnee, Sipchem, Petrofac, Endress + Hauser and more.  Honeywell is also a major Sponsor of the event.

“As a company, Honeywell places operational excellence at the very core of its business. As a result we maintain an unwavering focus on providing our customers and partners with the tools and solutions they need to boost efficiencies and reliability, which in turn drive growth,” says Norm Gilsdorf, President, Honeywell High Growth Regions Middle East, Russia and Central Asia. “We are pleased to be a partner at OpEx and look forward to being able to participate in this important, industry-wide dialogue to share best practice and insights.”    

The event will take place in Abu Dhabi on 10 – 11 December 2013. The conference will be held in parallel with another large-scale industry forum – MENA Shale 2013, which is organised by the same company and will focus on the latest shale oil and shale gas technologies.

For more information visit www.opex.biz , www.mena-shale.biz or contact the organiser directly at office@europetro-me.com