Siemens UK & Ireland has formed a strategic partnership with oil and gas control system specialist EFC Group, in a collaboration which promises to deliver innovative, cost-saving solutions for the industry.
The partnership developed after EFC Group selected Siemens as its preferred supplier of automation and control systems in 2010, following an audit into its Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) supply, usage and technology.
Siemens UK & Ireland’s technology has since assisted EFC Group with developing and certifying its Hazardous Area range of Remote I/O (RIO). This is now implemented across its range of drilling safety critical control systems for the oil and gas industry. The RIO solution has a number of benefits over traditional enclosure-based EExD technology, including the ability to deploy at convenient locations, leading to cost savings due to reduced cabling requirements.
Users of EFC’s systems can also make further savings through preventative maintenance, delivered by condition monitoring technology from Siemens. This ensures there is minimal unplanned downtime, increasing a site’s operational efficiency. The systems’ reduced size is also ideally suited to offshore installations where floor space is at a premium.
