Innovative technologies to shine at energy supply chain forum

Calgary, AB – Global competition on all fronts is fierce – an efficient, well-oiled supply chain directly affects business, and an optimized energy supply chain requires healthy collaboration and continuous innovation. This is what will ensure that production runs smoothly and projects are delivered on time and on budget. In partnership with the Supply Chain Management Association of Alberta (SCMA), Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), the Government of Alberta and event producers, and JuneWarren-Nickle’s Energy Group (JWN), the Canadian Energy Supply Chain Forum (CESCF) is a two and a half day conference held from October 28 to 30 at the BMO Centre in Calgary. The forum will focus on bringing energy companies and their supply chain partners together to explore long-term supply chain strategies that will ensure timely and cost-effective project completion.

For over 15 years, the CESCF has brought together customers and suppliers along the value chain of Canada’s petroleum industry in order to build relationships and start discussions on how to expand and improve the growing supply chain network of the Canadian energy industry. This year’s event will feature insightful topics including communication protocol, scope and specification, bidding processes, risk management, vendor performance evaluation, integrated project delivery, collaborative models, social licence to operate, safety programming, and financing solutions.

In addition to industry case studies, speakers will “drill into topics like scope and specification development, building effective communication along the value chain, developing better bidding processes, applying integrated project delivery, implementing contract performance management, managing risk across the network, thought-provoking technologies that will enhance productivity and much more,¨ says Allan To, president of the SCMA.

This year’s keynote speaker is Mike MacSween, executive vice president, Major Projects of Suncor Energy. He leads engineering, procurement and construction for growth projects in the upstream, downstream and renewable energy portfolios. As a member of Productivity Alberta’s board of directors, MacSween also leads the energy steering committee in conjunction with the Aligned Project Execution Initiative, whose mission it is to create a collaboration framework where all members of the supply chain can benefit.

The 2014 program will also see the forum joining forces with the Canada 3.0 network, which represents a wealth of knowledge and experience in the world of technology innovation and commercialization. This added innovative technology feature, complete with an innovation pavilion and program of breakout sessions, will address increasing the rate of implementation of new technology in the supply chain, which is key to lowering the cost of production and improving environmental performance. Canada 3.0’s focus is to help build the technology supply chain for the energy industry.

Some program breakout session topics will include:

• Remote working and monitoring
• Measuring, accessing, storing, mapping, reporting, and analyzing data in real time
• Using the Cloud to simplify greenhouse gas credits
• Asset tracking with spatial devices
• Discussion of new tools that affect business process efficiency
• Subsurface data instrumentation (sensors and analytics)
• Views on carbon, water and other clean technologies
• Environmental monitoring (sensors, big data, open data, analytics)
• Use of technology in safe energy transport

All of these components promise to make for a richer forum in 2014, with more concurrent sessions, workshops and carefully selected case studies than ever before.