Using Fundamend to reach control over asset knowledge.

Introduction

In this case study, we explore the Proof of Concept (PoC) conducted by Neanex, a data management solutions provider, with a leading energy company, referred to as "the customer." The customer is a global leader in renewable energy generation, renowned for its commitment to sustainability. Neanex conducted a proof of concept with the customer to address their data management challenges and explore the potential benefits of adopting Fundamend, Neanex's data-centric solution.

The overall challenge of the industry, and especially for this large asset owner - operator profiles is a huge amount of data. They need to have a clear insight in what they have, what they know about their assets and what they do not know.

Based on legacy systems and approaches, data is stored in a siloed and document driven way leading to huge data debts, mountains of documents and undefinable information that is impossible to control as their is no standard way of handling this way of working

Challenges Neanex focused on in this data overload context

The customer faced several challenges in their data management approach:

1. Scattered Data and Lack of Handover: Critical asset data was dispersed across various tools, teams, and stakeholders, leading to difficulties in data access and collaboration. The absence of a seamless data handover process between project lifecycles blocked efficient decision-making.
2. Inflexible and Expensive Data Landscape: The company relied on an application-centric approach, resulting in an inflexible and costly data landscape. This approach did not meet the future needs, and there was an urgency to explore a more data-centric approach. High rising costs & dependency from legacy software providers were creating high risks.
   
3. Limited Collaboration and Alignment: The customer's inside-out approach primarily focused on internal improvements, which posed challenges in collaborating effectively with external partners. The lack of a clear and shared data strategy risked misalignment in results.
   

Proof of concept

Neanex collaborated closely with The customer to conduct a Proof of Concept (PoC) using Fundamend, the Asset Twin solution of Neanex. The PoC aimed to demonstrate the potential benefits of adopting a data-centric approach in addressing the company's data management challenges. Starting with data strategy and using tools to show how to implement this on specific use cases avoids focus on functionality & tools rather than on the core: how do we want to work for what goal?

Use cases Explored in the PoC

• Standardizing Data with Libraries: During the PoC, the customer used Fundamend's libraries to explore the standardization of critical asset data across multiple projects. The utilization of predefined data standards and object templates allowed the customer to assess data consistency and comparability.
  
• Checking Data Availability and Completeness: The customer leveraged Fundamend's capabilities to check data availability during the design phase. The PoC aimed to identify data gaps early on and understand how Fundamend could facilitate data completion for a comprehensive dataset.
• Making Data Open and Accessible: Fundamend provided the customer the opportunity to explore making required data open and accessible for use and reuse in other tools and operational processes. This data-sharing approach aimed to foster collaboration and data-driven decision-making across the organization.
  
• Adding or Adjusting Data Based on Insights: Through the PoC, The customer examined how Fundamend's insights could help add or adjust data to meet operational requirements. The user-friendly online interface was explored for seamless updates of operational data as needed.
  
• Connecting Existing Data Sources and Tools: Fundamend's integration capabilities were assessed by the customer to explore connecting various existing data sources, such as sensor platforms and document management systems, to their critical asset projects. The goal was to create a unified data environment for better decision-making.
  
• Accessing Information and Context: The customer explored how Fundamend could provide valuable context about critical asset information, including location, associated systems, technical documents, and links to other tools. This contextual information aimed to improve decision-making and issue resolution.
  
• Effective Communication and Issue Resolution: The PoC evaluated Fundamend's collaboration features, such as BCF (BIM Collaboration Format), to facilitate seamless communication between stakeholders and expedite issue resolution, reducing project delays.
  
• Creating and Checking Coding and Classification Systems: During the PoC, the customer explored the establishment and review of coding and classification systems using Fundamend. The objective was to evaluate how this could enhance data organization and accessibility.
  
• Export and Handover: The PoC analyzed Fundamend's ability to facilitate seamless data handover after project completion. The focus was on ensuring that connected critical asset data would be readily available for use in other tools and systems.
  

Conclusion

The Proof of Concept conducted by Neanex with the customer using Fundamend aimed to assess the feasibility and potential benefits of adopting a data-centric approach in enhancing data management and collaboration. While the PoC showcased future-proof capabilities of Fundamend it has also shown that data strategy is a starting point, not a dot on the horizon. The implementation in an agile while, building different use cases based on this future-proof and standardized way of working, can allow the industry to collaborate and create faster delivery and more qualitative critical asset projects. Neanex remains committed to supporting the customer in their journey to achieve efficient data management and collaboration in their critical asset projects.