The following article is part one in a three-part series about connected work. In parts two and three, we will look at the perspectives of a back-office worker and an executive.
The alarm is doing its job. Graydon is now fully aware that time is of the essence. A methane sensor has detected a fugitive emission in the pipeline about 16 miles from his work trailer.
Graydon is being dispatched to check on the status of the valves, gaskets and seals in the area. If the leak continues or happens to get worse, his company faces the costly loss of product and potentially hefty fines due to the environmental impact.
In seconds, he’s mounted his phone to the dash of his truck and is en route to the location of the leak. On his wrist, his smartwatch records his pulse at 102 beats per minute (BPM).
Responding to issues in real time
On the screen of Graydon’s phone, he can see the pin marking the location of the sensor. He parks and within minutes he is using his optical gas imaging camera at the ready to scan the area for the exact location of the leak.
It is exactly as he suspected — the leak was coming from a compressor. Graydon will recommend temporarily bypassing the compressor so the repair team can check all the valves and run a routine replacement of the gaskets (the most likely suspect).
Thankfully, he has all of the tools and parts that he needs on board, as well as detailed schematics of the small facility that contains the offending compressor. A few hours later, he’s completed the maintenance and is heading home.
The right technician for the job
In the above example, our hero Graydon is responding to a call that while serious, is a matter of routine for him. Though our story starts with a bit of drama, it also very quickly reaches an anticlimax when Graydon correctly predicts and quickly handles the problem. Ho-hum. But the efficiency with which he completes the job is not by accident – rather, it’s by design.
Graydon’s phone wasn’t only showing him the location of the methane sensor and faulty compressor. It was also able to pull up the compressor’s service history, as well as the performance history of similar units. In fact, before Graydon was even in the truck, all of this information was communicated to him via his SensorHub app.
Why Graydon? Because he’s exactly the technician to detect a gasket leak on a compressor. The team at the office knows that the nature of the alert required someone with his skill set.
Now that he’s finished the assessment and updated the job status in his app, he can move on. Each time he arrives and opens a job or marks one complete, his team is updated.
His whereabouts, his work time, and even, if necessary, his vitals like heart rate, can be recorded for analysis later.
Mobile access to data without costly hardware
Graydon’s job requires a number of specialty tools, but the one that comes in handy most often is his smartphone. Via an app, his schedule, locations and job instructions are all just one tap away.
In the event of emergencies like the one he averted today, he and his team can respond to issues in real time. Graydon, his crew chief and dispatcher, as well as top brass at head office all have access to the necessary information to solve problems like the leak in the story above.
In the office, the rest of the crew can almost watch the fix as it happens, as Graydon’s beacon approaches his destination.
Removing friction in the field with connected work
In the above scenario, virtually all of the information that Graydon was sending and receiving was made available to him via the SensorHub mobile app.
Technicians are often tasked with data collection, and it is vital that the information be accurate, complete, on time and consistent. For regulated industries, such as oil and gas, energy and logistics, the pressure to collect accurate data for compliance and audits is even higher.
Improve first-visit resolution by arming employees with the best-in-class mobile solution. Built to be offline, SensorHub presents information in a clean and intuitive user interface enabling your workforce with the latest information they need to easily complete every job accurately and on time.
If you’re interested in learning more about the SensorHub mobile app and the SensorUp platform, contact us to schedule a live demo.
Larry Toube,
VP of Product