Leading innovation: Bilfinger’s digital initiative – BIC Magazine
Bilfinger North America, a leading supplier of maintenance, capital construction, turnarounds and soft craft services, is expanding its current service offerings through an innovative digital initiative.
Focusing on current investments in innovation for future growth and problem solving, the initiative is a collection of concepts, systems, technology and processes.
Bilfinger Director of Operations Technology Scott Yenchik described the differential value of the digital initiative as “an opportunity to create advanced scheduling through predictive maintenance and analytics.”
“By digitizing assets and applying digital concepts such as asset monitoring, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and AI, we help our customers drive decisions through data,” Yenchik said. “Datadriven decisions allow process optimization and improvements in reliability, efficiency and safety, all while reducing costs.”
One example of the digital capabilities is the digitization of documents. If a client records inspection rounds on paper, Bilfinger can digitize these documents and develop a cloud-based system that allows the client to implement a paperless maintenance approach, saving time and money.
As Bilfinger looks to the future, Mike Cox, president and CEO of Bilfinger North America, commented on the company’s healthy blend of growth initiatives.
“Our innovation efforts and the digital suite of solutions are helping us establish areas to grow strategically with new and existing partnerships and markets,” Cox said.
The recent merger that brought all of Bilfinger’s business entities together under one brand allows more aggressive moves and the agility necessary to grow at a quick pace.
“We can tap into the innovative offerings and long-term partnerships from our European colleagues, primarily around Bilfinger Maintenance Concepts and Bilfinger’s digital innovation,” Cox said.
Yenchik further described Bilfinger’s offerings.
“We now offer established solutions and create new technology to sustain and drive service, primarily by leveraging Industry 4.0 applications for connected workers, asset management, process optimization, monitoring and diagnostics,” he said.
Bilfinger’s recent merger has fostered immense differentiation for the company. As Bilfinger works with clients along a digital maturity and maintenance strategy progression, their assessment tools, technology applications and custom-created solutions are enhanced by their personnel.
“As a service provider, being able to tap into in-house expertise for certified maintenance reliability professionals, software development, AI data scientists and modeling capabilities is a game changer,” Yenchik said.
Bilfinger’s strategic approach to innovation, service and technology, as well as the consistent investment in innovation within Bilfinger, drives employee engagement.
“Our employees are encouraged to challenge themselves and think outside the box for innovative solutions and recommendations,” Yenchik added.
Additionally, the recent merger enables Bilfinger to offer its digital innovation and technology capabilities to all entities of the business, which creates new services solely because of what the technology is able to offer the company’s clients.
Client partnerships
Bilfinger also partners with clients to offer the Bilfinger Connected Asset Performance (BCAP) platform. This data-driven model, coupled with the company’s established maintenance services, provides a different approach to asset management, maintenance and reliability. The digital solutions incorporated into the BCAP program is an important new service model offering compared to traditional maintenance services.
Where standard approaches to maintenance services are often challenging commodity-based models, AI-based technology and innovation offerings can help to alleviate or outright solve some of the common problems associated with those models.
Not only does Bilfinger offer digital innovation and technology capabilities, but the company also delivers foundational asset management processes and concepts. Bilfinger’s wide range of asset management tools include Bilfinger Maintenance Concept (BMC), Bilfinger Turn Around Concept (BTC), Bilfinger Inspection Concept (BIC) and Bilfinger Project Concept (BPC). These concepts and processes align with the company’s corporate commitment to tying its North American operations to best practices, as well as its sponsorship of the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals.
Bilfinger is expanding on technology and training initiatives to allow for stabilizing the dynamic environment many companies are dealing with regarding COVID-19. Clients can utilize technology to sustain and bridge gaps caused by the pandemic-related challenges they face, such as supply chain issues and limited or lost personnel resources.
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“Our dynamic service capabilities are a blend of skilled, trained and certified technicians, and some of the newest technology and innovation offerings,” Yenchik said. “Bilfinger is uniquely positioned to partner with clients to offer this differentiator. There are many different ways that Bilfinger can help customers with this approach. Our range of solutions includes connected worker, process optimization, predictive data analytics, maintenance strategy optimization and IIoT solutions.”
For more information, visit www.northamerica.bilfinger.com or call (346) 298-6800.