Digitize to Survive, Thrive, Innovate, Transform

Set the stage for a successful digital transformation strategy, aligning people, processes and technology.

Learn how our digital solutions have been used by clients to transform brownfield projects and to innovate greenfield development.

JGC and MODS: A Case Study in Greenfield Digital Solutions

A significant global contributor to economic growth and industrial development, JGC Group is an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) organization committed to meeting challenges for a better world.

JGC partnered with software-as-a-service provider MODS to reduce capital expenditure through digital transformation of their construction execution business. This partnership began 2016 with the onboarding of MODS’s industrial software solutions.

A turning point in this relationship came with JGC’s LNGC Canada project, one of the biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in the world at the time, which started in 2019. MODS-JGC soon progressed into a full-time partnership with JGC becoming major shareholders of MODS in October 2020.

The fully customizable and agile MODS Origin – created specifically for complex large-scale new builds – transitioned JGC from paper-based to paperless construction execution systems, skyrocketing efficiencies and slashing capital expenditure.

Who Is JGC?

JGC dates back to the 1920s and with budgets of over USD 1 billion in the oil and gas sector alone, they have since headlined the construction of more than 20,000 projects in over eighty countries.

Originally focused on energy and chemical plants, JGC’s EPC business now revolves around complex greenfield and mega-construction projects over a range of sectors from energy to healthcare and beyond.

Fiscal Year 2018 revenues clock in at USD 6.3 billion. At 7,300 employees strong, JGC is one of the world’s most prolific EPC firms, constructing one-third of global LNG projects.

The Problem: Untenable Project Costs

Capital expenditure of JGC’s construction execution accounts for half of their total project costs. JGC’s existing construction management system relied on paper-based processes and manual data entry for work packs, which resulted in projects consistently running over time and over budget.

The five issues that JGC sought to address through their digital transformation journey were:

To reduce cost overruns and project delays through a paper-to-digital transformation.
To increase productivity and minimize lost time through digital work packaging solutions and optimal allocation of resources.
To integrate with and enhance the efficacy of their existing in-house construction management system through removing manual processes.
To ensure transparency through making all project phases of their construction management (from planning and commissioning through to handover) visible, through cloud-based quality-assured data and information.
To support an agile future and to continue to develop MODS Origin in partnership with MODS, enabling remote oversight of all phases of their construction execution projects, ultimately with advanced tools including Artificial Intelligence (AI).

With a vision to go paperless, JGC undertook a piecemeal digital transformation approach that revolved in large part around digital advanced work packaging (AWP).

The Solution: Digital Transformation With MODS Origin

Embarking on a digital transformation journey reinforced JGC’s ethos to create a more prosperous future and to harmonize energy and the environment.

Since joining forces with MODS in 2016, MODS Origin has enabled the paperless construction execution of around ten significant JGC projects. These projects included:

Full development of a Central Gas Plant facility in Bahrain in 2017;
From the ground up development of a crude oil gathering and processing facility with a capacity of 40,000bbl per day for Sonatrach in Algeria in 2018;
The construction of an LNG export terminal in Canada in 2020; and,
A USD 3.5 billion refinery upgrade project for South Refineries Company in Basra, Iraq.

Significantly reducing capital expenditure helps achieve a sustainable profit structure. To do this, JGC asked how they can build plants as a lower cost without compromising on quality, as well as to reduce unnecessary costs.

The solution was through AWP, a primary feature of MODS Origin.

MODS Origin: Construct Module

Construct is MODS’s AWP solution, which easily creates digital work packages including up-to-date engineering drawings, construction tags, progress reporting, 3D views, all related deliverables and safety documentation. Construct brings together all of this data, which can be accessed from the web or on a mobile device.

MODS Origin: Test Module

Test is MODS’s digital inspection package, which is broken down into three sub-modules: Test Piping, Test Loop and Test Energize. Test creates, controls, executes and archives test packages, all of which, again, are remotely accessible.

MODS Origin relies on a 3D visualization that integrates progress, scheduling and reporting, pulling data from both Construct and Test, as well as from JGC’s in-house system.

Through the JGC-MODS partnership, MODS Origin has evolved into JGC’s de facto construction execution solution for construction management and execution of complex greenfield and mega projects.

The Benefits: Lower Capital Expenditure and Increased Productivity

JGC’s successful implementation of MODS Origin realized the following benefits:

Less time spent on creation of test packages, work packages and for inspections. For example, the combined time spent by supervisors, engineers and inspectors on piping inspection test packages went from 82 minutes to 22 minutes per test – a reduction of seventy percent, or one hour per test package. JGC has handled over 10,000 test packages since using MODS Origin Test module, without so much as a piece of paper, which saved 10,000 person hours.
Improved productivity of workers and inspectors. Thirty-five percent of time spent was saved due to a reduction in human error relative to JGC’s previous paper-based systems. Thanks to the digital transformation delivered by MODS Origin, all inspection data became centrally stored and accessible, remotely, in real time – this eliminated superfluous meetings.
Significant reduction in capital expenditure of construction execution related to the reduced time needed to create test packages, for inspections and progress reporting. With MODS Origin piloted on an oil refinery expansion project (the Blue Sky Indonesia project) in 2015, the reduction in person hours equated to a savings in over USD 3 million.
More streamlined communication with both internal and external partners. Because MODS Origin fully integrated with JGC’s proprietary construction management system, one universal and remotely-accessible database allowed for total transparency and a data-filled 3D visualization tool, which enables simple communication with offsite managers.
Improved forecasting ability with regards to schedule made possible through real-time information upload via mobile devices and 3D visual status updates.

Digital Transformation Through MODS Origin

JGC’s digital transformation journey supports their commitment to contribute to planetary health through the three pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental and social.

Piloting digital transformation of construction execution processes through MODS Origin, the Construct module (featuring digital AWPs) visibly improved efficiency and productivity to immediate effect. In pursuit of their continued quest to cut waste and capital expenditure, JGC formalized a relationship with MODS to further develop industrial software solutions in collaboration.

Digitally transforming construction execution saved JGC an enormous amount of person hours. MODS Origin eliminated time spent on creating work packages and permits, identifying and correcting errors, trying to decipher what’s really happening onsite, and investing time and energy to forecast future work in the midst of all these variables.

Reducing person hours alone, especially on this magnitude, impacts the bottom line on large-scale construction execution projects. JGC’s partnership with MODS – an unlikely pairing at face value – has transformed both businesses, bringing them into a paperless future and fueling innovation and continued development of MODS Origin.

Petrofac and MODS: A Case Study in Brownfield Digital Solutions

Petrofac designs, builds, and operates world-class energy facilities engineered for safety, optimal efficiency and low emissions. In January 2020, they partnered with software service provider MODS to remove manual processes from their brownfield development projects.

Challenged with capturing data as well as the consistency and accuracy of that project data, Petrofac’s brownfield delivery and digital execution teams, selected MODS Connect software as the digital solution for the UKCS. MODS Connect, a cloud-based software solution, compatible with Petrofac’s existing systems and processes, decreased administrative burdens to improve efficiency, reducing time and effort by 50 percent.

Remotely accessible by anyone from anywhere, MODS Connect enhanced Petrofac’s ease of communication, delivering project transparency with internal and external stakeholders for a variety of brownfield projects. MODS Connect enabled Petrofac to harness the power of digitization and visualization through the following modules: Work Packs, Completions, Materials Manager and Progress Tracking.

About Petrofac

Petrofac is a leading provider of services to the global energy industry. During its 42-year history, it has delivered 200+ major projects in upstream major projects, brownfield modifications and repair order work scopes, refining and petrochemicals as well as in the new energy sector with more 30 offices worldwide, its 7,950 employees support its operations across the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia-Pacific and India.

Working across a range of markets and across the asset life cycle (from design through to decommissioning), Petrofac requires agile solutions to address the inherent complexities of brownfield development.

The Problem: Data Drain

Consistency. Accuracy. Data capture. Owing to the industry’s historic reliance on manual systems to manage complex construction execution processes, the goal is to ensure project information remains intact, comprehensive, correct and accessible. Petrofac recognized this opportunity to pioneer the use of digital in the UKCS brownfield sphere via MODS software systems.

Petrofac conducted a market survey and chose MODS, industrial software provider to global businesses, as their preferred solution. Designed by engineers for engineers, MODS’s software solutions replace paper with user-friendly digital systems that keep projects on time and on budget. Digital partners like MODS are essential to ensure a smooth transition in the early stages of digital transformation.

Petrofac prioritizes information management, which is particularly challenging in brownfield contexts. Therefore, their overarching objective in partnering with MODS was to capture all data in one system.

This, Alex Robertson, Petrofac’s Digital and Innovation Senior Manager, says, “gives us the ability to be more efficient, removing manual processes, including labor required to process information, all in one environment.”

The Solution: MODS Connect

MODS create technology partnerships with EPC contractors and owner-operators in support of clients corporate digital transformation strategies and to accelerate digitization plans.

A software suite ideally suited for energy-sector brownfield development projects, MODS Connect is adaptable to a wider range of industrial and natural-resources sectors. It is a cloud-based solution for both onshore and offshore use. Integrating with client’s existing systems (both manual and other digital) and processes, MODS Connect decreases administrative burdens and reduces costly errors.

This, Ryan Thom, Petrofac's Lead Analyst- Business Applications, says, "provides us the ability to deploy & startup projects efficiently, onboard users and seamlessly integrate with other tools in our ecosystem".

Minimizing overrun, keeping projects on time and on-or-under budget, MODS Connect enables remote project oversight, objectively managed workflows, full transparency and comprehensive project archives. MODS Connect aligns people, processes and technology, setting the stage for a successful digital transformation strategy.

Digital brownfield solution MODS Connect consists of six modules that can be used individually or together in any combination: Materials Manager, Work Packs, SIMOPS, Completions, Joint Integrity and Progress Tracking.

Petrofac chose to start with four MODS Connect modules: Work Packs, Materials Manager, Completions, and Progress Tracking.

MODS-Connect-D2S

Example Project 1:

One of Petrofac’s ongoing brownfield CAPEX projects is part of a client’s corporate strategy to provide an internal platform 4G network across all assets. MODS Connect Work Packs module has been used to manage works for all of the field assets where this project is being carried out.

Roy Potts, Petrofac’s Delivery Lead identifies the main benefit of MODS Work Packs to be time saved. “As soon as a Work Pack is signed off offshore,” he says, “it can be progressed to closeout – no shipping time.”

A digital solution, MODS Connect Work Packs replaces the previous paper-based systems. Roy says, “There’s no risk of the work pack getting lost offshore or in transit.”

All information is stored in one place: on the Cloud, which is accessible from any web browser. This gives management visibility as to project status. Even offsite and office-based management can easily check to see whether the required documentation has been completed prior to starting works, which is what is supposed to happen.

The reverse, which is often the case with manual systems, results in leaving documentation until the end of the job when the supervisors who witnessed the scope are no longer there. Information gets lost. Records become best-guess, compromising accuracy and quality of project delivery.

Digital Work Packs act as a checks and balances, lending full transparency and quality control. Management’s ability to view real-time project status means that things happen in the correct order, guaranteeing quality-assured documentation and, thus, comprehensive and accurate archival records.

Embarking on digital transformation, going from manual systems to digital ones, requires training and continuous practice, which can be time consuming. While Roy acknowledges the tangible benefits of MODS Connect Work Packs, preferring this digital method, he emphasizes the need for offshore staff training. In particular: tradespeople responsible for populating Internal Test Records (ITRs) as well as the supervisors who coach the tradespeople, need to be well supported from the get-go. This is where the importance of selecting a compatible, flexible and accommodating digital partner is essential.

Example Project 2:

Another one of Petrofac’s CAPEX brownfield contracts was for offshore Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of multiple North Sea assets with spring-hanger rectification and small-bore tubing anomalies.

Here, Petrofac implemented the following MODS Connect modules: Work Packs, Materials Manager, Completions and Progress Tracking. Repair Order Manager with Petrofac specifically mentioned Materials Manager for allowing the contractors to track – and to demonstrate receipts with proof – when materials were delivered offshore.

The Benefits: Improved Brownfield Project Delivery

Petrofac is using MODS Connect for “connected delivery.” This software solution, Alex says, “provides a connected digital platform between the four systems [Materials Manager, Work Packs, Completions, and Progress Tracking] and our site-based workforce.”

And connected delivery is exactly what Petrofac brings to the field through MODS Connect, providing Petrofac’s construction workforce with:

A single portal for all premobilization requirements;
A paperless work pack platform to be used and viewed on tablets or other mobile hardware;
Electronic, and therefore traceable and visible, progress reporting from the field;
A digital completions module that flows seamlessly from worker’s job cards;
Materials management and RFID and QR barcode tracking of all materials and equipment;
4D visualization of project work-fronts for tracking.

Replacing traditional reports with real-time performance dashboards reduced 50 percent time and effort required to provide clients with key project data. Project transparency through the remotely accessible digital models enabled informed decision making, anticipating and avoiding common pitfalls. And high volumes of diverse brownfield modifications were delivered on time and within budget using MODS Connect.

Alex says of the benefits: “[With MODS Connect] we have standardized what ‘good’ looks like and we have the flexibility to meet client-specific requirements. We can record all information that goes into the system and measure and monitor data in a consistent manner so we can be very confident that what we report is accurate. Progress and photographs are at the click of a button. The accuracy is a very important point, the tools allow the folks in the field to trust the information coming to them to quality check.”

MODS Connect removes paperwork and associated manual processes, it captures data and tracks materials, schedules and progress. Ensuring accuracy of data, MODS Connect forces users to follow a particular workflow.

Alex confirms this on behalf of the team, “[MODS] Connect has strengthened quality control and transparency of project information.” Change management requires consideration. Alex continues, “The deployment of any new system can be difficult, but thanks to the hard work of the teams involved, introducing MODS Connect went better than most. People took it on board, accepting it quietly and quickly.”

While MODS Connect serves the oil and gas sector, the software itself is adaptable, suiting a wider range of industrial sectors. Alex notes these benefits: “The fact that MODS works with diverse clients, we benefit from that. Lessons learned from MODS’s other customers and sectors gets passed onto us, helping us improve. Different perspectives and opinions are healthy. So, in turn, we pass those benefits onto our clients. Everybody wins.”

MODS Connect Work Packs module links all workflow and technical details relating to Engineering, Manning, Materials, Inventory, Fabrication, Installation, HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) reporting, Scheduling, and estimated time. This fully linked digital system delivers an accountable and real-time view of the tasks from planning to sign-offs.

MODS Connect Materials Manager module is an inventory control solution for use during industrial construction or maintenance projects of any size. Through QR-coded and barcode tracking technology, Materials Manager digitizes end-to-end inventory control from fabrication through construction and installation. Material status is available in real-time from anywhere, and inventory bottlenecks and problems are anticipated, saving time and money.

MODS Connect Completions module digitizes construction handover from contractor to owner-operator, ensuring all project information is conveyed accurately, completely and in one viewable 3D database. Through a continuous Completion Management System (CMS) interface between contractor and owner-operator, MODS Connect delivers comprehensive inspection, testing and commissioning records that is accountable and cost-effective.

MODS Connect Progress Tracking module is a 4D solution with a color-coded, temporal 3D asset model. This module offers real-time progress tracking that equips management with accurate project status and information through all phases: planning, fabrication, construction, commissioning and handover.

Digitize to Survive, Thrive, Innovate, Transform

Set the stage for a successful digital transformation strategy, aligning people, processes and technology.

Learn how our digital solutions have been used by clients to transform brownfield projects and to innovate greenfield development.

Greenfield Case Study

Brownfield Case study