Sponsored Content: How do we deliver energy to a world that cannot stop?
In over 85 years, Aramco has never missed a shipment to a customer for operational reasons. One of the main factors behind this extraordinary level of consistency and reliability is our Oil Supply Planning and Scheduling system (OSPAS), which ensures that every part of our supply network works like a well-oiled machine, 24/7.
From wellhead to worldwide delivery
We have a broad portfolio of hydrocarbon operations and products, spread over a large region. Our oil network alone has a maximum sustainable capacity of 12.0 MM barrels per day (bpd),and ensuring that everything works without disruption is an incredibly complex planning and scheduling challenge. That’s where OSPAS comes in.
The result of many years’ collaboration between employees and our technology partners, OSPAS spans our entire oil network, gas and NGL network, refining and distribution system, and terminal network. Delivering real-time visibility of each part of the supply chain to help maximize yield, manage field operations and schedule deliveries.
The data behind every drop
Data is the lifeblood of OSPAS. Over 60,000 cutting-edge remote terminal units collect measurements in real-time from each of our facilities, and then relay the data down hundreds of communication lines into our servers. From there it’s transferred to our operational center so that engineers can instantly see every aspect of our company’s output on a 67 meter-long digital screen.
The size, scale and complexity of this data is enormous. 95% of it is automated, covering everything from temperature and pressure readings, though to flow rates in pipelines and the operating performance of all our facilities.
Ensuring equilibrium between supply and demand
We’re committed to delivering premium hydrocarbon products to our customers, reliably and responsibly. The complex and interconnected nature of our supply chain means that the performance of one facility will have knock-on effects for other parts of the network. That’s why our OSPAS team combines human ingenuity with the latest technologies to optimize our supplies at every stage of the process.
Our team continually monitors the levels of demand in both local and global markets, and then sets comprehensive supply plans to inform the production targets at each facility. No one single product is produced at levels that are too high, or too low, ensuring we continue delivering efficiently to our customers, while maximizing revenue.
The nerve center
OSPAS combines both short- and long-term contingency plans. In the short-term, our team of engineers and experts rapidly reacts to any kind of eventuality or emergency. So if they spot an anomaly in a facility, they can respond instantly to ensure there’s no disruption to operations or supply.
When it comes to planning for the future, they analyze the supply-demand balance across oil, gas and refined products to develop advanced models, and deliver long-term recommendations for the next two decades of production.
Limitless potential
We are continually looking at new technologies to augment the accuracy and efficiency of OSPAS. These include adopting machine learning, advanced analytics and AI to build predictive models that can better forecast demand for our products years into the future.
There is also potential to expand OSPAS beyond its current scope, integrating with some our downstream partners to deliver oversight and visibility into the entire chemical supply chain.
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