Business & Money | Monday 19 October, 2015 1:40 pm |

The year 2015 has seen significant change for the oil, gas and petrochemicals industries. Failing oil prices and rebalancing of gas prices have had a major impact on the profitability of companies working in the sector. This has created new pressures as companies look to find ways to create sustainable competitive advantage.

With these challenges in mind, the region’s key players are meeting in Abu Dhabi at OpEx MENA 2015 – Operational Excellence in Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals - from 6 to 8 December to discuss best practices for creating competitive advantage and maximizing profitability of their assets.

 

This is the third edition of the conference and includes presentations by Saudi Aramco, Takreer, Bapco, Equate, Sadara Chemical Company and Petro Rabigh. Cutting edge service and technology providers specialising in operational excellence will share insights and key strategies for achieving operational excellence.

 

Thomas Kesl, Consulting Manager at SAP, who will discuss assets intelligence as a key driver of operational excellence at the conference says, “SAP supports operators by bringing them closer together with their business partners through a holistic business network for the exchange of maintenance and production information and in turn improve their processes”.

 

Technology and how to use it to drive performance of new and existing assets is a key theme of the conference and Aspen Technology, a leading global software provider will discuss optimal process design and operations during the conference. When asked to share one golden piece of advice for producers, Sheikh Saifuddin, Director for Business Consulting at Aspen Technology says “Optimisation is no longer an option. It is now a commercial necessity. Advances in process optimisation software help process manufacturers successfully implement complex capital efficiency programmes, achieve best-in-class operational performance and develop an innovative workforce.”

 

OpEx MENA, the ‘must attend’ industry forum for operational excellence will begin on 6 December with a pre-conference workshop presented by DuPont on Extracting Maximum Value for Assets and Operations. The forum, which has been designed to reflect the current business conditions, will continue over the following two days in Anantara Eastern Mangroves Hotel Abu Dhabi.