Oil, gas and power users meet

SmartSignal Corporation held its first User Group meeting since being acquired by GE Intelligent Platforms in January 2011. More than 20 oil and gas super majors and power generation giants from Europe and the Middle East gathered at the SSE (formerly Scottish and Southern Energy) Equipment Performance Centre just outside of Leeds (GB) to learn about the value of Proficy SmartSignal solutions and the company’s expanded roadmap as part of GE’s Proficy software product suite. Present were representatives from BG Group, BP, ConocoPhillips, Electricity Supply Board, EDF, Edipower, Enel, E.ON, Fortum, Gas Natural Fenosa, Laborelec, RasGas, RWE npower, Saltend Cogeneration, Scottish Power, SSE, Statoil, Thames Power, Total, and more.

“As part of GE, SmartSignal will have the opportunity to do the kinds of things that we couldn’t do on our own, which will enable us to increase customer value,” said Dave Bell, Product General Manager, GE Intelligent Platforms. “We now have the power of GE behind us, and we can leverage its experience, research, and technology. We’ll be integrating our software with complementary GE solutions, including the other Proficy software and GE Energy products, to help our customers improve availability and operational excellence.”

Customers Edipower, SSE, Gas Natural Fenosa, Laborelec, RWE npower, EDF, and Segas shared their experiences in working with Proficy SmartSignal solutions, which are used across power--combined cycle, coal, wind, nuclear, and hydro plants--and oil & gas, including upstream, midstream, and downstream. The customers described “catches” identified by the software, which allowed them to detect looming equipment problems early and fix issues before they grew serious or catastrophic. One customer described how the SmartSignal solution helped identify a crack in a critical gas turbine component, saving the power plant 1.4 million euros in repair costs and production loss.

“It was great to hear positive feedback from our European customers and to get their input on our expanding plans,” said Erik Udstuen, GE Intelligent Platforms Vice President, Software & Services. “GE sees a strong future in the energy sector, and the SmartSignal products are central to our plans of expanding asset intelligence. We look forward to continuing to serve all OEMs, all equipment, across the fleets of energy companies worldwide.”