I N N O V AT I O N S • A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 1 4
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purpose of developing strategic solutions for offshore
operators by leveraging portals for success, like
integrating knowledge from intra-industry sources,
as well as from TDW’s internal experts. In addition,
both JIPs and Engineering Services are the result of
market demand. Operators have often requested that
TDW partner with them in developing conceptual
solutions to complex operational challenges, but
until now, the company had not institutionalized
a process for generating cross-functional solutions
spanning multiple departments.
Answers To Complex Questions
As the manager of Engineering Services,
George Lim is, perhaps, a bit of a guru. Or,
in today’s business parlance, a thought leader.
Instead of spiritual seekers, though,
he’s sought out by operators looking to manage
their businesses with greater certainty and
less risk.
Oh, and rather than being perched
on
a mountaintop, he’s easily accessible by
phone or email. No pitons, boots or climbing
expertise required. And one more thing,
unlike the crest-dwelling guides of old, Lim
doesn’t work in seclusion to solve the issues
that operators bring to him, challenges that
lately have ranged from how to detect and
plug leaks in an Arctic subsea line using
fiber optic cable, to the remote control of
subsea hot tapping in water 1500 meters
(4921 feet) deep.
Instead, Lim assembles subject matter
experts from the company’s regions and Centers
of Excellence, teams them with subcontractors
and other partners when necessary, and leads
them through a process that includes:
•
Evaluating the operator’s technical issue
and objectives,
•
Reviewing operational, economic and
environmental considerations, and
•
Developing an engineered solution drawing
from multiple areas of expertise.
If this sounds like the stuff of engineering
and feasibility studies, well, it is. Engineering
and feasibility studies are among the types of
integrated work Engineering Services produces,
along with method statements, narratives and
calculations for opportunity scoping.
Developed At Operator Request
With more than 30 years of offshore experience on
his resume, there’s no question that Lim understands
the unique demands of offshore operations. (In
fact, he was recently also named the company’s
interim Director of Offshore Market Development,
a position he’ll hold concurrently with his
Engineering Services role.)
But how did he know that operators would
welcome the kind of comprehensive problem-solving
that Engineering Services furnishes?
The short answer is, because they repeatedly
request it through TDW’s regional sales teams.
Like the time the UK E&P division of a global
energy giant asked TDW for help removing a stuck
pig and wax plug from a 16-inch pipeline. Lim’s
team provided a method statement and remediation
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