Smart asset management for utilities

The asset-intensive UK gas distribution sector faces a number of challenges. Companies typically have a widely distributed asset base, aging infrastructure and poor data quality, and are facing changing regulations and stricter financial controls. In these tough conditions, the ability to deliver ongoing value to stakeholders is critically dependent on optimisation and efficiency in asset management. In particular, companies need to predict future asset failure and proactively prevent service disruption. They must also ensure that long-term investments are optimised over the full lifecycle of network assets. IBM has played a key role in supporting the complex asset management systems that underpin Scotia Gas Networks (SGN) since it was devolved from the National Grid in 2005. This paper describes how the practical experience of working with SGN has helped IBM enrich its smart asset management solution for the distributed utility network.