Visualising the Traditional Inventory
To define a digital inventory, one must first hold a picture of a physical inventory in mind. Imagine rows of industrial shelving, multiple stories high, stretching off into the distance in a large warehouse, the sound of forklift trucks reversing with their loads, personnel in hard hats taking stock checks and finding required components, delivery lorries arriving with their cargos. A buzzing hive of activity, taking up real estate, man-hours, and depreciating stock. Your needed spare part is in there somewhere and can be ordered via your company’s Inventory Management Software.
Enter the Digital Inventory
Now picture a user-interface (UI) on your laptop which connects you to a database only of spare parts, through which you can find your needed part, and place an order to have it delivered to your required location within days. That UI is your window into a digital inventory. A digital storage location, containing the 3D models of the part, but with a connection to a local 3D printing manufacturer able to manufacture it on-demand.
The Crucial Connection: Data Meets Manufacturing
Without that connection to a manufacturer, the digital inventory is of limited value. It is simply a somewhat “toothless” file management system. Establishing the connection is not straightforward, however, and is at the heart of what Fieldnode has to offer. This is the future of spare part management; replacing physical inventories with digital ones, enabled by on-demand manufacturing.
Built on Trust, Standards, and Security
Standards compliant. Additive manufacturing (AM) fabrication is executed in line with industry standards’ inspection and test plans, an auditable record of which is stored on every transaction.
IP security. 3D models, print recipes, technical drawings are locked securely in each part’s “IP vault”, only becoming accessible by a manufacturer when invited by the IP owner to bid on an RFQ.
Global IP, local manufacturing. Consumers can access IP from across the globe and pair it with local manufacturing, reducing carbon footprint and meeting local content requirements.
Latest version every time. Consumers will be able to order a spare part knowing it is the latest version, OEMs will be able to upload the latest version and know it is available to their customers.
Obsolescence use case. Obsolete parts can be reverse engineered and stored in the digital inventory for subsequent use either by the same purchaser or another business unit.
Part engineering. Customisable digital workflows enable OEMs and Consumers to develop new IP using any combination of internal resource and external engineering services to develop their inventories.
Subscription model. Consumers can subscribe to parts’ IP, giving them the right to print the part only when needed while preserving OEMs’ revenue.
Meeting the Demands of a Cautious Industry
The energy industry, while highly innovative, is famously, and justifiably, conservative. In order to unlock the full potential value of digital inventories and on-demand manufacturing, the risks of engaging with this new technology must be mitigated and be seen to be. This is where Fieldnode’s laser focus on standards and quality comes into play.
More Than Storage: A Trusted Manufacturing Ecosystem
More than simply a storage place for digital files, Fieldnode brings these benefits to life for the oil and gas industry by facilitating connections with its ever-growing global network of additive manufacturing companies via our unique RFQ process, including an auditable trail of Inspection and Test Plan (ITP) agreement and execution. In addition, our API and DNV compliant factory audit process, developed by Fieldnode with 8 leading oil & gas operators, is applied to these manufacturers ensuring quality.
Time Is Value: Real-World Case Studies
At a recent AM event, one operator described a case study where a spare part was obtained in 28 days via on-demand manufacturing (not using Fieldnode), 27 days of which was spent negotiating the commercial and technical details with the manufacturer. The actual fabrication and testing were completed in 19 hours.
In an early manifestation of Fieldnode’s DI in 2024, the same was accomplished for an operationally critical part in a total of 12 days. Since then, we continue to streamline the commercial and technical negotiation of the RFQ process, while always ensuring strict adherence to the standards. Our customers, both end-users and manufacturers, trust our system because they know the standards are integral to every transaction. They use it because the digital workflows enabled by our DI deliver the on-demand manufacturing promise via structured, streamlined, auditable processes. And they invest time in co-developing it with us because they see their problems being solved, and a future being shaped in which the promise of this exciting technology is being delivered successfully in the rigorously risk-controlled world of energy.
A Digital Inventory With Teeth
A digital inventory “with teeth” consists of a secure part management system coupled with a standards-compliant, streamlined connection to manufacturing methods. Fieldnode is proud to be at the forefront of delivering this technology for the energy industry, and excited to be exploring opportunities in defence and other industries. We will continue to work on advancing the exciting area of Additive Manufacturing for the world, with all the competitive and environmental benefits it promises.
Henry St Aubyn
CPO at Fieldnode
