Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is developing rapidly and is appearing more and more often in asset intensive organizations. It is both a Threat and Opportunity. To some it is a tool for making better or faster decisions; and on systems where the output is king that could be a driving factor. For others, it is another layer of fog hiding decision making processes. Evolution of this technology is moving much faster than regulation, and in an unregulated space within a capitalist economy, where AI can provide a commercial advantage it will be used and advanced. How is AI being used in asset intensive organizations today, what could tomorrow look like? What skills and knowledge should Asset Management Professionals be investing in to work in a world with fast evolving AI systems?
Panelists:
Richard Edwards, Executive Director, AMCL USA
Richard is an Executive Director and Board member of AMCL with responsibility for AMCL's North Ameican business and also is the global technical authority for AMCL products and services.
Richard is a Past President of the Institute of Asset Management and a member of Council for the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management.
He advises a range of infrastructure owners and regulators on Asset Management and related business issues to identify the most effective ways of investing in new or existing assets to deliver the best outcomes for stakeholders.
Sunil Vedula, CEO and Founder, Nanoprecise Sci Corp
Sunil Vedula is a professional engineer from Canada with 12 years of experience in the oil & gas sector. He is an expert in machine design, material science, finite element modelling, and data analytics. He obtained his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from DCE and an MBA from the University of Alberta, Canada. He is an avid reader and extremely passionate about technology commercialization in the field of IIoT, AI, and Industry 4.0 so as to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions as much as possible. He won awards at MIT, and recently won start-up awards at the prestigious Society of Petroleum Engineers Startup pitch competition. At Nanoprecise, he is enabling affordable and accurate automated predictive maintenance for every rotary machine, be it in any industry. In this pursuit, his team created a complete end-to-end patent-pending solution that comprises smart hardware and AI-based software, and combines physics, material science, and data analytics to diagnose issues with machinery and predict the “Remaining Time to Failure.”
Johannes Coetzee, Managing Director, Martec
Johannes Coetzee is the MD of Martec (a specialist condition monitoring company) and Chairman of the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM), the umbrella forum for professional associations in the field of maintenance and assets management across the world. He is the past-president of the Southern African Asset Management Association (SAAMA) and also serves on the Advisory Board of the Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Johannes is an Industrial Engineer, holds an MBA and has been in the field of maintenance and asset management for more than two decades.
Moderator:
Susan Lubell, Principal Consultant, Steppe Consulting Inc.
Susan Lubell—P.Eng., MBA, MMP, CAMA—has extensive experience in the fields of asset management, reliability, maintenance management, and operational excellence. She brings over 25 years of progressive experience leading teams through their improvement journeys, connecting organizational business goals and objectives with practical actions implemented at the front line to drive business results. The author of Root Cause Analysis Made Simple, Susan has had a variety of industry roles, including director and past-president of PEMAC, chair of the PEMAC Competency Committee, and chair of World Partners in Asset Management (WPiAM). Her current role is on the Steering Committee for the Global Forum on Maintenance & Asset Management (GFMAM) Landscape revision.