Total and TCS to set up a digital innovation centre in Pune

France-based integrated oil and gas company Total and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have signed a partnership agreement to create a digital innovation centre in India. Based in Pune, the centre will be built on the industrial digital technology initiatives already deployed at Total’s production sites. 

The aim of the industrial digital technology is to make operations safer and more efficient by making better decisions faster, simplifying operators’ day-to-day work to enhance their efficiency, and reducing our costs.

The industrial digital technology would comprise of:

- Mobile apps, drones and robots that would enable connected and augmented operators through digitisation of tasks such as field check reports, maintenance requests and the consolidation of shift team reports.

- Incorporation of 3D imaging to access documentation or maintenance history at any time and to prepare maintenance operations.

- Anticipation of any operating incidents through the analysis of data collected from numerous sensors across the site.

- Smart rooms to remotely access the knowledge and skills of experts in various disciplines whenever required.

Combination of Total's know-how and TCS' agility

Marie-Noelle Semeria, senior vice president and group chief technology officer at Total said, “After having integrated digital solutions within the Group, we now want to invent those of tomorrow by combining Total's know-how with the agility of TCS.”

The partnership will initially focus on the refining process and through digital technology, the various building blocks of refining (production units, processes, the supply chain and petroleum product markets) will be driven in a wide-ranging way to improve refinery performance. Real-time data analytics, the Internet of Things, automation, artificial intelligence and agile methodology will be used to improve industrial efficiency, energy performance and availability rates.

“With the digital innovation centre, we are positioning ourselves as a pioneer working to develop a smart, connected refinery that will allow us to improve our industrial competitiveness. We want to invent the Refinery 4.0” said Bernard Pinatel, president, refining and chemicals at Total. 

Based on the TCS concept of “entrepreneurship-in-residence,” Total will work with TCS’ technology and several experts in vast domains. Total is looking to leverage TCS’ network, its structured co-innovation approach and its Business 4.0 cooperation framework. 

“The energy and resources sector is one of TCS’ fastest growing business units. We are delighted to sign this strategic digital innovation partnership with Total for which we will leverage our Business 4.0 framework, with a focus on agile, intelligent automation, internet of things, analytics and cloud-based solutions” said Debashish Ghosh, president of energy, resources and EPC Business at TCS.