Epsis: Driving Digitalization in Practice

The oil and gas industry—which, until the recent past was labeled as a ‘late adopter’ of technology—is in its full swing to adorn the ‘smart’ tag of digitalization by leveraging capabilities such as data analytics, IoT, and automation. At a time when investments for change translate to a gamble for quicker returns, and when the industry is cautious in evaluating the disruptive factors, Norway-based Epsis, with its platform, the Epsis TeamBox, aims to provide ‘modern ways of working.’ “We call it digitalization in practice,” says Jan-Erik Nordtvedt, the company’s President and CEO. “There are many digital efficiency opportunities still in the oil and gas domain that do not require massive technology implementations,” he adds. Given the concerning fluctuations in oil prices, especially since the price dip of 2014, even the major players in the space have been struggling to balance revenue and expense. The recent wave of interest in the sector to be equipped to meet the demands of a ‘brighter tomorrow’ has led companies to overlook the subtle ways digitalization could massively drive efficiency in operations today.

Notably, the remoteness between production centers and rigs, coupled with the siloed nature of work associated with different activities has led to a profound barrier to communication and information exchange which has, in turn, rendered activities to be more inclined to the worker than the overseer. This is where Epsis fills the gap; the Epsis TeamBox, as Nordtvedt points, glues together people, processes, and technology in the oilfield operation by visually integrating all applications and collaboration sources. At the click of a button, any application, data source, video conferencing, and files relevant to a particular task can be launched or simultaneously displayed based on screen real estate. By using standard PCs, the platform can replace or work with any traditional AV equipment in the operations center or conference room. Thus, to achieve an Integrated Production Center (IPC) powered by Epsis, enterprises need not invest in any additional proprietary software or hardware.