Global Excellence 2020

164 Acquisition International - Global Excellence 2020 58 Acquisit on International - Issue 1 2021 Jul20336 P-Networks is a technology company that develops cloud-based platforms and utilizes analytic intelligence to drive successful client outcomes across shutdowns, turnarounds, outages, and capital project events. The firm’s people have specific expertise on how to help clients apply digital tools, industry data, and AP-Networks’ knowledge base in order to achieve highly predictable, competitive outcomes on these resource- and capital-intensive events. The company’s founding mission is to ensure clients achieve success. Founded 21 years ago, AP-Networks’ core mission has always been to enable client success with its technology and data intelligence solutions, and it has many long-standing client relationships based on shared success. The business has changed over the years and has successfully applied its model to a much broader range of industry segments, from refining, to fertilizer and pulp & paper, to mining, and now power generation. In the US alone, more than 80 percent of major refineries rely on AP-Networks’ digital tools, data intelligence, and renowned expertise to improve their performance. Decades of hands-on experience across a wide range of industries form the basis for AP-Networks’ cloud-based platforms and applications. It is this unique blend of innovative tools, accompanied by deep experience with event preparation, management, and partnering with clients, that helps differentiate the company from competitors. “With more than 2,000 events represented, our database of shutdowns, turnarounds, and outages is the largest and most robust in the world,” explains Mike O’Kane, Vice President of Products and Services. “This allows us to provide extremely accurate, predictive industry comparisons for our clients’ event targets and outcomes.” With more than 20 years of industry application and data behind them, AP-Networks’ standard measures of event execution readiness have become the standard measures of event readiness across the globe, trusted to identify specific gaps in preparation. Tools like the innovative NaviTrack™ system enable the preparation and deployment of work processes that serve as interactive, daily-use tools. NaviTrack and the rest of the firm’s digital tools are based on the team’s experience with strategic and tactical drivers of event success. AP-Networks’ newest online platform, the Outage Network, has been rolled out for power industry outages and utilizes NaviTrack to provide a power generation outage preparation work process. All of the firm’s digital tools—including the PYXIS™ risk management system, the acXis™ action tracking system, and the LLern™ lessons learned management system—are complementary modules that integrate and prioritize activities for every individual team member. The company culture at AP-Networks supports the firm’s overall mission: to provide the tools and expertise to drive client success. AP-Networks’ associates are selected based on their proven ability for client support. A Asset Performance Networks (AP-Networks) is the trusted leader for improving asset and operational performance in petroleum, chemical, and energy companies worldwide. Recently, we caught up with Mike O’Kane to find out about how working with clients’ most critical assets can help them achieve safe, competitive, and predictable outcomes on their high-risk events. Improving Performance In fact, the firm has a unique model for identifying and selecting team members whereby individuals must have demonstrated commitment to client success across their experience, and they must have the technical and data skills needed to support this success. “We hire many individuals with prior turnaround and capital project management experience. Many are hired after decorated careers in industry, and they are excited to apply their broad experience and skillset to new clients in new environments.” With such a refreshing approach to leadership and teamwork, it’s no wonder that AP-Networks is such a success. Mike goes on to explain that it is critical for all team members to contribute to client success. “Across all of our offices around the globe, we challenge ourselves to continue to develop new capabilities, analytic intelligence, and methodologies,” states Mike. “At the pinnacle of this effort is our communication, maintaining strong alignment across our Technology and Software Engineering team with the specific, practical needs of our clients. We maintain AP-Networks as a fun place to work, where new ideas are encouraged and associates in the field return with fresh ideas for creating cutting-edge, industry-first solutions.” Recent economic changes across the industry have had broad impacts to refining and chemical facilities. While fast execution of turnarounds and other events has often been the top priority to reduce lost profit opportunity of operations, a shift in priorities to cost minimization is underway as the operating economics have changed. However, the future looks bright, as AP-Networks is on an aggressive track to roll out new tools and analytical capabilities in 2021 and beyond. The firm’s cloud-based platforms have grown to provide an unprecedented level of event scope evaluation and budget and schedule analysis, and will soon provide tools for quantitative, multi-year long-range plan scenario development. Just as exciting, AP-Networks’ digital tools are being enabled for use across mobile platforms, so they are accessible anytime, anywhere. “For AP-Networks, our tools and analytics are more relevant than ever as we help clients identify specific, tactical changes to improve event cost performance.” Contact: Mike O’Kane Website: www.ap-networks.com Most Outstanding Turnaround Management Firm 2020 - Energy