The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) is one of the most relevant voices of the global oil & gas industry. It is the industry’s global forum in which members identify and share best practices. Valve World Americas had the pleasure of speaking with Carlo De Bernardi, Staff Valve Engineer – Global Production, for exploration, development, and production (E&P) company ConocoPhillips, to get his take on the IOGP and its role in the industry. Specifically, the ways in which the IOGP has developed over time, and its overarching goals pertaining to standardization and increased efficiency.
By Angelica Pajkovic and Sarah Bradley
A Lifetime of Knowledge
Carlo De Bernardi’s career path has been full of twists and turns, making him an expert not only in valves, but also in adaptability. By degree, he is a Civil Engineer, but at ConocoPhillips, his focus is much more centered on mechanical engineering. In his 20s, De Bernardi wanted to travel, and in 2001 settled into a position with Cameron at one of the largest valve manufacturing facilities in the world near his hometown in northern Italy. This role promised that his job would involve travel, and that is what convinced him to begin his career in the valve industry. “Once you are in the valve industry, there is no way out,” he said. He worked for Cameron for more than a decade, before being hired at ConocoPhillips in 2013.
Now a longtime employee of ConocoPhillips, De Bernardi works in the global production department, with a specific focus on valves. Day-to-day, much of De Bernardi’s role is focused on supporting operations, supporting projects, managing the approved vendor list for files, and of course, troubleshooting all valve related problems. While he enjoys supporting different projects, De Bernardi admits that it can be quite stressful, especially in the current global climate: “We are living in such a changing landscape, and that is becoming quite stressful as we must keep adapting. Being adaptable is, I would say, the key to not only survive, but to thrive in this environment.” Another large aspect of his role is his involvement with the IOGP.
IOGP, JIP33 and Globalization
The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers was founded in London in 1974 to develop better communication between the upstream oil and gas industry and the global network of regulators. The IOGP is concerned with making improvements in several areas, including but not limited to: health, safety, the environment, engineering, and operations. Many of the world’s leading oil and gas companies are members of the IOGP.
“There are significant differences between the oil and gas industry in the lower 48 states as compared to Europe,” explained De Bernardi. “In the lower 48, there are several small projects constantly ongoing, but they are completed at a fast pace. In Europe, businesses work on several large offshore projects for longer periods of time. They therefore have more engineered valves, more customized equipment, and the supplier base is different.” Information about these nuances across the industry is made readily available through the efforts and coordination of the IOGP.
Having worked with a variety of valves in various countries and applications, De Bernardi has made many interesting and relevant insights into the status of valves within the IOGP around the globe. As the vice chair of the piping and valves subcommittee of the IOGP, he is uniquely positioned to understand the impact that new innovations and ideas can have on both the oil and gas and the valve industries. He also chairs the subsea pipeline valve task group, which is a part of the Joint Industry Program 33 (JIP33).
Representing ConocoPhillips, De Bernardi is working as an integral part of the IOGP to research subsea valves, and developing the JIP33 Specification S-562 – the Supplementary Requirements to API Specification 6D Ball Valves and the S-611 Gate Valve Specifications.
At ConocoPhillips, one of their Europe-an Business Units is already purchasing valves to S-562 and S-611 specifications and have experienced little impact to this point, easily obtaining the necessary products to the requirements of the new specifications. “The JIP33 specifications build on existing industry standards to provide a full set of requirements with which to purchase equipment and packages,” stated De Bernardi. “The ultimate goal of JIP33? Standardization, and consequently, efficiency.”
ABOUT JIP33
Working with 12 major participating oil and gas operators and EPC partners, with support from the World Economic Forum capital project complexity initiative – JIP33 resulted in response to industrywide overruns on cost and schedule of more than 40%. Initiated in 2016, JIP33 is already enabling the supply chain to reduce variation and become more efficient – providing significant value in both scheduling and capital cost control. Over 40 specifications have been published to date and are now being adopted and implemented by the operators on major projects where benefits are already being demonstrated.
JIP33 specifications build on existing industry standards to provide a full set of requirements with which to purchase equipment and packages. This set of requirements is structured into the follow documents:
• A Supplementary Specification to an industry standard. Specifying a set of “minimum requirements” sufficient to purchase equipment that meets the functional needs of the users.
• An Information Requirements Specification or “IRS.” Specifying a list of predefined documents and data required to be delivered by the supplier.
• A Quality Requirements Specification or “QRS.” Specifying quality management system and inspection and testing requirements.
• An Equipment Data Sheet Template. Specifying the options the purchaser wishes to select, and project specific information.
CONOCOPHILLIPS AT A GLANCE
ConocoPhillips is an exploration, development, and production (E&P) company focused on oil & gas. It has been in operation since 2002 across 14 countries and has over 9,000 employees. The history of ConocoPhillips ‘illustrates a relentless commitment to safety, a passion for innovation, and an ability to adapt to a dynamic marketplace.’ Its devotion to innovation and adaptability is certainly evident in its cautious yet optimistic approach to the integration of additive manufacturing in its business. The scientists at ConocoPhillips are continually researching, and implementing new technology to increase efficient and effective process for the dynamic industry.
Towards Industry Standardization
While still relatively new to the valve industry, JIP33 is making a significant impact, and is expected to continue to grow and develop over time, expanding to be used by more and more companies. “The standardization of requirements is the main purpose of the program,” stated De Bernardi. “The industry as we know is a bit fragmented when it comes to technical requirements. This is not meant as a criticism, but rather as a statement of fact, and an opportunity for improvement and progress.”
Currently, manufacturers and suppliers may need to customize products to best suit operators’ project requirements. While these capabilities are positive, it can also be detrimental to the company in the sense that this intense level of customization can cause supply chain issues and inefficiencies. If the IOGP can expand their specifications internationally, the major global E&P players can benefit from the improved quality and extended availability provided through increased supply and demand on a larger scale. As the world has seen, the pandemic and European conflict can have a huge impact on the supply chain, so having more standardized equipment and procedures may help to mitigate the impact of future conflicts on production and supply chain to the E&P industry. Ultimately, if JIP33 is successful in its goal, companies will be able to operate in a much more harmonized way, using a more predictable and manageable supply chain.
Despite the optimism with which De Bernardi discusses JIP33, he also acknowledges the challenges facing the program. He explained, “when you start implementing something new, you are creating disruptions and these disruptions will be obvious. It will take some time for companies across the oil & gas and valve industries to become accustomed to the level of standardization that JIP33 provides.” De Bernardi also recognizes that different professionals within the industry will have different opinions about the specifications; an engineer may not agree with a commodity expert – an operator may have different goals than a supplier. Companies that have implemented JIP33, like ConocoPhillips, have to walk the line between risk and reward: “We want to be conscious that we are changing things, and this will certainly have a short-term impact. But, if we can stick with the new rules, the long-term effect will be the standardization and rationalization of our supply chain.”
What is Next?
So, what are some of the most effective ways to ensure that the IOGP and JIP33’s goal of standardization and increased efficiency is soon achieved? First off, spread the word. The more professionals that are informed of these innovations, the more likely they will be to implement the JIP33 standardizations in their work. For De Bernardi, “the IOGP is not a European thing, it is not an American thing; it is a very global type of initiative. An important value for the entire community is to keep up the pace in a fast-changing and challenging environment.”
Standardization, harmonization, efficiency, and progress. These are the pillars that ConocoPhillips and the IOGP represent, and their values are very evident in all the great work that they have accomplished.