Established in 2000, Asset Performance Networks (AP-Networks) develops advanced software and consulting solutions for the energy and petrochemical industries. Brett Schroeder, Co-Founder and Managing Director of AP-Networks, spent his career working in these industries and realized that they were facing a problem: Maintenance events and capital projects were characterized by very unpredictable outcomes, and suffered from substantial cost and schedule overrun. He saw an opportunity to help Industry improve and set out with Co-Founder George DeBakey to drive better predictability and efficiency. AP-Networks started small, with a few oil and gas companies as a client base. Over time, the company has built Industry-leading tools and unparalleled databases of information. By leveraging innovative software solutions, an Industry-renowned consulting staff, and their unrivaled databases, the company has helped Industry improve dramatically.
Many companies have poor discipline and inconsistency in the upfront planning process, affecting the success rates of their capital projects and maintenance turnarounds. The lack of a defined planning and preparation process, combined with poor-quality deliverables, leads to a lack of readiness prior to starting engineering and construction. AP-Networks helps companies improve their planning and preparation process for a better success rate and consistent, competitive outcomes. The company developed a web-based work process deployment tool called NaviTrack, which provides clients with a digital blueprint of their work process, and helps them understand all required activities and their related timing. NaviTrack makes the planning process interactive and transparent, allowing clients to evaluate deliverable quality and identify bottlenecks.
“Before NaviTrack, these companies were only using paper, manuals, and spreadsheets,” said Brett, “which were not transparent and were very complicated to use when keeping track of hundreds of activities.” Today, NaviTrack has been licensed by over 300 facilities around the world, with new facilities added each year.
AP-Networks has the world’s largest databases of project and turnaround practices and outcomes. These databases are used to benchmark performance and predict outcomes. By employing statistical analytics, AP-Networks helps clients understand readiness early in the planning process, giving them a realistic estimate based on what they are trying to achieve and warning them against negative outcomes in time to change them. “Benchmarking and data analytics, along with the digital blueprint NaviTrack provides, have been key parts of our growth and our business value,” said Brett.
Brett related the story of a major refiner who came to AP-Networks looking for assistance with their turnaround execution. The refiner had grown very quickly, and was grappling with unpredictable turnaround outcomes across several of their sites. Inadequate organizational capability and a lack of discipline in adhering to the work process were hurting the bottom line. AP-Networks worked with the company to benchmark their weaknesses and helped them create an effective turnaround management process. By deploying this new process via NaviTrack, AP-Networks increased process adherence across the company’s sites. This helped the company optimize organizational capability and deliver consistent, competitive turnaround outcomes. Moreover, NaviTrack helped the company track progress over time and review their readiness. Within a few years, the company achieved massive gains in performance and saved millions of dollars annually.
AP-Networks has brought digital transformation to the energy and petrochemical industries, with more than 70 active clients throughout Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America. The company is now seeking to expand its presence in industries such as power, mining, pulp and paper, food, shipping, and more. AP-Networks is also pushing Industry forward with their latest software tool, iNTrack, which allows capital project and turnaround teams to integrate their work processes for the first time.
