Automated Business Integration: Newer Is Instantly Better
  from: NOV M/D Totco
  by: Stacey Costa & Merrie Costley
  Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Introduction

Data automation and business integration have become a powerful combination in optimizing the contractor drilling business delivering improved business results. For example, by replacing manual paperwork with automated reporting processes, a 10 rig contractor can now refocus up to 5000 hours of rig manager time to improve safety, drilling processes, training and improved service to the operator. In the forefront, National Oilwell Varco's M/D Totco product group provides these effective solutions to meet the drilling contractor business requirements.

The NOV M/D Totco solution exploits a well-proven approach; listening carefully to customers' needs and objectives, then utilizing products and services to help deliver better business results. Specific to business integration, using IADC‘s platform to streamline rig/contractor office administration and taking Tour Sheet information directly into critical management reports and business applications provides those results. Successfully done, this reduces data entry, improves accuracy, streamlines processes and improves operations at the rig and in the office. 

Strategic Features

Automating and streamlining rig and office administration is a primary benefit of the NOV M/D Totco solution. The automation of the IADC Tour Sheet on the rig can reduce the rig's administration time up to 50 minutes per shift, allowing this time to be focused on operations instead of manual paperwork.  Electronically signed reports are then sent and stored in a relational database where the information is made available for reporting and data analysis. This allows the contractor to identify trends, pinpoint operational issues and access key information needed to manage their operations.  For example, management can review drilling activity, downtime hours, payroll, personnel information, or safety incidents. Not only is the data available for reporting and analysis but also for integration into their business processes. 

More than any other previous approach to optimizing a customer's business processes, taking Tour Sheet information directly into business applications is pivotal. This is especially crucial for payroll processing.

By providing accurate eligible payroll information to the rigs and an office interface for reconciliation and verification, payroll processing has never been easier.  Once complete, payroll information can be sent to the enterprise system with the press of a button.  This significantly reduces time required from pay period-ending to payroll processing while improving accuracy and reducing the amount of payroll corrections required when compared to the previous manual operation.

Of no less importance is the improvement of safety management and HR operations. The quicker that company management trends safety information or knows about an incident, the quicker they can effectively manage it.

For purposes such as immediate medical care, workers comp and reducing exposure where industry turnover is high and hiring/retaining are costly, NOV M/D Totco has automated customers' HR forms, improving HR management.  They have done this from promotions to transfers to terminations, even including W4s and employee reprimands. These forms are signed by the employees with the NOV M/D Totco pioneered electronic signature pads and instantly sent to the corporate office where they can be reviewed and processed in a timely manner.

Finally, the process is "audit" ready. This makes governance compliance a part of your business process rather than trying to manage it after the fact. This will reduce compliance costs and effort. By leveraging IADC's industry-wide standardization with NOV M/D Totco solution support, one can drive business efficiencies as well as maintaining compliance with effective audit trails.

Listening to customers' needs, goals and objectives is the guiding principle for the innovative user-friendly NOV M/D Totco solution for drilling companies. Couple this with the business analyst team dedicated to product/services integration.  Now, companies can optimize their business processes not tomorrow, but today.

Stacey Costa, Product Line Manager, Integrated Business Systems & Merrie Costley, Manager, Global Business Integration are with NOV M/D Totco (http://www.nov.com/). For more information, contact ryan@nov.com.  

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