CAROL JOHNSON

Carol Johnson, VP Energy, Utilities & Resources at IFS, talks partnering with the energy sector to counter the doomsday clock

I also manage and run our customer advisory board - a group of people from the industry that guide and consult with us, helping us make sure our solutions are aligned to the market.

Q. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE WITHIN IFS

» I am Vice President of the energy, utilities, and resources team for IFS. IFS develops and delivers cloud enterprise software for companies around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage service-focused operations.

I’ve worked for companies like ABB Group, MDSI and Itron, where I was part of smart meter implementation projects. Now, at IFS, I have moved over into the industry team, looking at the energy industry as a whole – the trends and challenges in that industry and how we should be responding with new solutions and our long-term roadmap. In energy, for example, there is a lot of convergence, and the focus is on renewables.

Q. WHAT IS IFS' GOAL FOR 2023, WHAT TRANSFORMATIONS ARE YOU CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH?

» IFS is going through huge transformational changes, both organically as we build our solutions and add new capabilities, and inorganically, through strategic acquisitions. The goal and vision in the energy sector is to support organisations’ goals for asset management and infrastructure, bleeding out on the ERP side.

We support asset-heavy industries, with energy being one of those. Some competitors see it all through a CRM lens, but others will start from the ERP side, before adding in asset management. We start from asset management, making it easier to procure through supply chain management and project management, and to maintain and manage the asset lifecycle. Now we’re moving into predictive asset maintenance and management, radiating out to support the ERP functions and field service. We deploy a lens in which we see how everything revolves around the asset, at the back of which is the customer. That’s critical.

Q. YOU TALK ABOUT THE ENERGY SECTOR’S IMPENDING DOOMSDAY, DO YOU MIND ELABORATING?

» The Doomsday Clock was created by atomic scientists and marks the manmade threats to humanity, primarily nuclear war, but now climate change has now been added to the list.

The energy sector obviously has a big role to play in taking us away from the midnight point at which catastrophe strikes. Climate change is certainly a huge focus for utilities, which IFS fully recognises - utilities and energy, including oil and gas, contribute about 25% of the overall carbon production on earth. So, this is a key area for us, and we have the solutions to help tackle these major worldwide challenges. For example, our solutions can aid energy organisations in their efforts to meet the current sustainability standards and regulations, helping them to deliver a reliable service that is both sustainable and affordable.

Q. WHAT HAS BEEN IFS’ GREATEST CHALLENGE WITHIN THE ENERGY SECTOR?

» Our greatest challenge is achieving greater brand recognition. We must make it clear how our portfolio meets the challenges facing the energy sector.

Whereas previously, the focus was on manufacturing and construction, aerospace and defence, now it’s a matter of making sure people know that, through our organic and inorganic growth, IFS is firmly embedded in the energy sector.

And we are very serious about partnering with the utility sector. The leadership team is ensuring we introduce ourselves properly to this industry.

There is a level of industry conservatism we must overcome. However, the big difference with us is that we have solutions that are tailored and not generic. We have a proven offering, and we are ready to shout about it.

Q. DURING YOUR TIME HERE, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LESSON?

» The biggest lesson for me is the importance of getting the word out about our portfolio and everything we do within the entire sector.

The other big lesson I have learned so far is how to stretch our applications for scheduling, workforce and field service management into a complete enterprise asset-management offering, along with the project management and financial capabilities that we bring to the table. It’s about the broader portfolio, as opposed to slices of a solution.

Q. WHAT DO THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HOLD FOR YOU AND THE COMPANY?

» We are working on predictions for 2023 in concert with our advisory board, looking at the challenges in the industry, and ensuring that our longterm roadmap and solutions remain completely relevant.

We’re continuing to stitch it all together in a compelling use case, facing all the challenges the industr is going through. Rapid transformation is afoot, with the focus on sustainability and dealing with the political disruption of energy supplies.

The growth of cyber attacks on the industry, especially in the US, is evidence of how energy is becoming a weapon, because obviously, nobody in the developed world can operate without it.

Black & Veatch provides insights on digital twin technology and its impact on data centre development, including design, construction, and sustainability

Digital twin technology has gone from a futuristic ideal to a present-day reality for data centre developers and operators. This highly specialised virtual modelling can impact the entire data centre lifecycle, beginning with site due diligence and moving into design and construction, as well as measuring sustainability objectives and creating tools for operational excellence.

Black & Veatch is using its internal resources to develop real-time modelling for global clients. Digital twin technology eliminates geographical barriers in initial site due diligence and design phases. The entire team can virtually walk the “completed” project without leaving their desks. This provides great convenience, but the real value is evolving.

Digital twins are not simply simulation tools because they also provide a previously inaccessible depth and breadth of exploration of data. It allows clients to review a project in a virtual world before implementing it and allows developers to sell the project to stakeholders earlier.

The digital twin can also support operations of the data centre, where monitoring and other tasks are done remotely and the ops officer can review issues from any location to make decisions that have a significant impact on the enterprise.

This report features industry insights from key personnel at Black & Veatch who are invested in its activities and translate the company’s achievements into professional services for its core industries.

Due Diligence Insights Before A Shovel Goes Into The Ground

Digital twin modelling allows clients to design a site even before the land or building is purchased, says Black & Veatch’s Shilpa Maganti and Greg Zalewski Black & Veatch perform site due diligence for data centres and mission-critical facilities, collaborating with clients to assess greenfield and brownfield sites using the company’s expertise in the power, water, telecom/fibre, environmental and data centre industries.

The company has the capability, scalability, and global resources to help clients select sites that will meet future capacity and sustainability requirements. This expedites challenging schedules and gives clients a competitive advantage by leveraging Black & Veatch’s vast global internal resource pool, preferred sub- consultants and long-term relationships with utility providers in major markets worldwide.

“We might have a client who has a piece of land and asks us, ‘Can we build a data centre here?’” explains Shilpa Maganti, Black

& Veatch’s

Data

Centres Project Manager. “At that point, we would look at the site, look at the topography, even the soil conditions. We have to be able to answer the question of whether we can even build at that location.“

“We also need to calculate the civil and structural side issues related to a project – do we need to blast the site? How is the grading going to work?”

Black & Veatch also considers power and utilities during a site due diligence project, including an overview of potential cooling systems and water supplies.

“Then we move on to other investigations, including the environmental side and master planning. We investigate any environmental impacts. Most of the clients we work with know how large a data centre they're looking to build on that piece of land, so our team works with them to build a master plan.”

SHILPA A. MAGANTI, P.E.

TITLE: PROJECT MANAGER

INDUSTRY: ENGINEERING

LOCATION: UNITED STATES

Shilpa Maganti is a Project Manager for Black & Veatch with more than 13 years of experience with a wide variety of auxiliary power system designs and arc flash hazard analyses associated with data centres, power plants and mission-critical industrial facilities.

Shilpa’s experience includes design and specification of auxiliary electrical distribution equipment for new and retrofit data centre projects. She is experienced in performing power system studies, including load flow, short-circuit and arc flash hazard analysis engineering activities using SKM (Power Tools for Windows) or Electrical Transient and Analysis Program (ETAP) - PowerStation by OTI. She has developed procurement and design-build/ Engineering, Procurement and Construction.