Many people working in operations still associate the word technology with being risky, long‑term or uncertain. As they strive for operational excellence, organisations often hesitate to use technology to its full potential, and valuable opportunities are missed. Read on to discover how practical, well‑judged technology choices can deliver sustained operational value, based on decades of hands‑on and strategic experience!
Lessons from a global technology deployment role
Before founding the company in 2018, I served as Technology Deployment Manager at Shell, where I led a global task force called “Technology Replication Thrust for Production Excellence.” The Global Production Excellence organisation operated around six improvement themes at the time:
- Maintenance
- Reliability
- Turnarounds
- Logistics
- Ensure safe production
- Well, Reservoir and Facilities management (WRFM)
Each theme had a dedicated technology programme focused on replicating proven solutions from within Shell or from other operators. The work was done in close collaboration with the Global Process Owners for each theme, and their teams.
Whenever we supported an asset, we avoided producing large reports or long lists of potential opportunities. Instead, we focused on 5–10 technologies that were both achievable and impactful for that specific asset. We then supported the asset with whatever was required to deploy those technologies, involving subject matter experts and technical authorities. Once completed, we moved on to the next wave.
The business impact of targeted technology deployment
The results were significant. Over seven years, we deployed roughly 600 technologies, with a very large impact on production, cost, safety and emissions. Examples include:
- Tens of assets were supported with turnaround optimisation, often achieving reductions in turnaround duration of 10–40%. Mark van Latum, former Shell upstream global process owner for turnarounds, summarised the impact: “As the Shell Upstream Global Process Owner for Turnarounds and responsible for the safety and overall performance of Upstream Turnarounds we saw that non-traditional technologies were critical enablers for our strategy of ‘safer, fewer, faster and cheaper’. Working closely with the Technology Catalogue founders and shifting the conversation from ‘have you considered…’ to ‘why are you not applying this particular (proven) technology’ we significantly accelerated acceptance and penetration of non-traditional technologies, thereby demonstrably improving T/A preparation and execution performance thru interval optimisation, scope avoidance and safer and/or more efficient and effective remaining scope execution”.
- A suite of facilities optimisation technologies (a combination of digital and non-digital technologies) were deployed in Sarawak, Malaysia. Over a period of approximately 5 years, this led to a total of over 50 Bscf of additional gas production for investments of less than $1 million per year. The technologies deployed included those that helped to de-bottleneck production through multiphase flowlines. See paper IPTC-18986.
- Production increases of 20-100% on individual wells were achieved by deploying foam-assisted gas lift. The results of the initial trial are described in the paper SPE-184217. Since the initial trial in 2015, the technology has been deployed in tens of wells.
Why we started TechnologyCatalogue.com
Getting started with technology deployment is certainly not easy. Identifying the right solutions is challenging because the technology landscape is vast and fragmented. This difficulty was one of the key reasons for launching TechnologyCatalogue.com in 2018: to make it far easier for companies to find and deploy the right technologies.
AI helps these days, but it can also be overwhelming and it is difficult to know what to trust. It does not provide essential decision‑making data, such as deployment references. Just as you would not hire a contractor to fix your roof at home without reliable information and references, companies need trustworthy insights before adopting technologies. That is exactly where our platform comes in.
Understanding the mindset of operations teams
Having worked with operations teams for many years, we understand the questions they ask when evaluating new technologies, or what they think and feel. Such as:
- “Will this actually deliver measurable results?”
- “Is this mature enough for existing operations?”
- “How much effort will this require from my team?”
- “What happens if this fails?”
TechnologyCatalogue.com gives companies access to thousands of solutions and the tools to quickly narrow down the most relevant ones. The platform already contains thousands of solutions that improve operational performance, including:
- More than 600 maintenance technologies across 10 subcategories
- More than 300 technologies for well operations
- More than 700 digitalisation technologies
- Etc
Users can quickly pinpoint the most relevant solutions through advanced filtering and selection tools, including features that highlight relative business impact on cost, production, CO₂ emissions, and safety. If a suitable solution is not yet listed, they can post a challenge to our global community, which consistently responds with high‑quality proposals.
Setting yourself up for success
Beyond providing access to the platform, we offer hands‑on support to companies in selecting and deploying technologies, building on our extensive experience with getting technology deployment done. This includes advising on areas where short‑term gains can often be realised through digital and non‑digital solutions to improve operational performance, such as turnarounds, well interventions, and routine maintenance.
Within the selected areas, we focus on technologies with the highest “do‑ability”. Many factors influence how easy or difficult a technology is to deploy, and our Technology Stress Test methodology captures this experience. It is a structured, facilitated dialogue built around 25–30 questions grouped under seven themes.
The Technology Stress Test examines practical considerations such as compatibility with current processes. A “no” is not necessarily a showstopper, but a “yes” increases feasibility. It also explores risks versus rewards: who carries the risk, and who benefits? When these are unbalanced, resistance can occur. Addressing such issues early ensures alignment and increases the likelihood that the company benefits from deployment.
Selecting the right technologies is essential. Choosing those with a high “do‑ability” score maximises the chances of success.
Once technologies are selected, it is important to treat every deployment as a project. That means assigning a project manager, establishing a solid project plan, and ensuring the usual governance and support structures are in place. Paying close attention to detail helps make each deployment a success. Success builds momentum and creates enthusiasm for the next wave of deployments.
Closing remarks
Technology can make a profound difference in existing operations. This is not a slogan; it is a proven reality. Success depends on selecting and deploying the right technologies with a structured, focused approach.
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to explore how we can support your company on its journey toward operational excellence, powered by practical technology choices: feel free to email eriknijveld@technologycatalogue.com or book a meeting via https://calendly.com/eriknijveld/30min.
About the author
Erik Nijveld is Co-founder and CEO of TechnologyCatalogue.com. The platform, launched in 2018, supports energy companies in efficiently identifying technologies to solve today’s challenges. It is used by more than 10,000 professionals around the globe. Before starting TechnologyCatalogue.com, Erik worked at Shell for almost 20 years. Over the years, he gained strategic and hands-on experience in what it takes to deploy both digital and non-digital technologies. The global technology task force he led between 2010 and 2017 resulted in more than 600 deployments, delivering significant business impact.