Open Text Corporation, a global leader in enterprise content management (ECM), today announced its software solution that specifically helps mining, energy and chemical companies manage critical changes in processes at mines, oil refineries and chemical plants.
Management of Change (MOC) programmes are a major challenge for plants, in terms of time, resources, and risks of fines, lawsuits or shutdowns if initiatives fail. Open Text's solution automates the content and processes for MOC, so companies can cut down on the administrative burden, minimise risk and reduce costs.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management regulation states that any time a critical component in an oil or chemical plant changes, a formal MOC program is required to ensure that the proposed change is made safely. Similar situations also exist in many other countries, including South Africa. Parallel 'regulations' also exist within mining environments.
Open Text's ECM - Management of Change solution, uses core content management and business process automation capabilities to simplify the MOC process. The solution manages all stages of the life cycle of an MOC program, and ensures that every event in the system is auditable and reportable, providing transparency throughout the system. All documents and data are accessible via a single ECM repository to help ensure compliance, simplify the management of information and improve responsiveness to regulators.
Open Text designed the solution based on the best practices research of Gateway Consulting Group, an Open Text partner and innovator in the design and implementation of ECM solutions for chemical and petrochemical plant environments. Dr Rainer Hoff, president of Gateway, analysed MOC processes at over a dozen chemical and petrochemical facilities in the United States. The resulting Gateway Group MOC Best Practices eliminates bottlenecks and identifies areas for improvements that provide facilities with real business benefits and savings.
“Fundamentally, an owner of a chemical plant or petroleum refinery must know the configuration of the plant at all times. If the operators do not know what is in the plant, then it is impossible to operate the plant safely, and sometimes fatal accidents can occur,” commented Hoff. “The plant owner receives excellent drawings and documentation when the plant is built. But that documentation and those drawings must be updated with every change made to a plant. This isn't just a good idea - it's a legal requirement. To really excel at MOCs, a company needs an ECM system with an MOC application. Open Text's ECM with the Plant Compliance Module fits the bill.”
Open Text's ECM Management of Change works by dividing the MOC life cycle into a series of predefined 'states' - initiation, classification, design, change impact analysis, mechanical integrity and pre-start up safety reviews. The decisions regarding which documents need to be updated, which tasks need to be completed and who the approvers (for any 'state') should be, are driven by pre-set rules. The application offers the flexibility to add or remove tasks and/or approvers based on the rules.
All of the content associated with an MOC, such as equipment manuals, piping and instrumentation diagrams, CAD drawings, and e-mail communication, can be stored in the central repository and are tied back to the physical assets of the plant. This ensures that all documentation that represents the physical condition of the plant is readily accessible for risk management and compliance purposes.
“There's a lot at stake for customers when it comes to MOC and customers want a better way to manage the process,” added Chris Vassalotti, Director of Business Solutions at Open Text. “We've worked with Gateway Consulting Group to create a solution that provides a best-practices approach to the complexities of MOC, so customers can have the control, consistency and efficiency they need to meet both the demands of their business and the requirements of regulators.”
For further information, please contact Rob Shaw: tel 083 626-3811, fax 086 646-4178, e-mail rshaw@opentext.co.za.
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