McDermott International Plugs Into Digital Transformation

From CIO

A digital transformation is helping McDermott International pump up innovation and revenue.

The Houston-based construction and engineering company for the O&G industry is tapping into the power of technology and data to boost efficiency and sustainability. Its digital transformation focuses on three areas: people, processes, and tools.

McDermott’s Digital Innovation Center in India, launched in 2018, is driving much of this innovation. The innovation center’s brainchildren include VesselXT, a digital twin that grabs IoT data generated on a vessel, and ArborXD, a tool that lets engineers incorporate sustainability features into their products.

ArborXD will be used to monitor and manage greenhouse gas emissions for a new LNG project for QatarEnergy. McDonnell says the QatarEnergy contract, announced in January, is one of the biggest in the history of the 99-year-old company.

Aside from the ability to dream up new products, McDermott’s digital transformation enables it to tackle pressing internal needs such as stepping up cybersecurity measures and developing a more hybrid-workforce-friendly infrastructure.

The success of these and other digital initiatives rests primarily on cloud computing, analytics, and data lakes (not meant for swimming or boating, unfortunately). The umbrella over McDermott’s digital transformation is its new companywide Digital and Project Innovation Group.

To keep the digital transformation flowing, McDonnell has embraced a “digital-ready culture” that promotes education, upskilling, and engagement. The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up adoption of that culture. For instance, the pandemic spurred McDermott to use VR for 3D model reviews and remote capabilities for factory acceptance testing (FAT).

As McDermott marches ahead with its digital transformation, you can be sure that the company hopes to FATten its profit through greater efficiency and sustainability.