Notícias_óculos inteligentes
A pioneer in natural gas transportation solutions, the TBG is also undergoing a digital transformation. Disruptive solutions are aiming to both improve the business environment, setting up a natural gas marketplace, and ensure greater efficiency in inspections and worker safety for, using tools such as drones and smart glasses.
The inspection of installations and especially of the gas pipeline right-of-way is making considerable gains in operational efficiency with the use of drones, while also enhancing employee safety. Preventive maintenance has become more agile, with details noted and analyzed using close-up images.
The use of smart glasses for remote guidance is another novelty of the digital transformation movement. They can be used in preventive maintenance, emergency situations and even in auditing. The glasses, equipped with cameras, are attached to the safety helmet, thus freeing the hands for handling equipment, and through voice recognition they connect to the Microsoft Teams app, by means of which the technician can be guided by a mentor or even a group of specialists brought together in a virtual environment. Still images and videos are transmitted in real time, with added features such as zoom and light level control.
TBG CEO Erick Portela Pettendorfer says that, “With smart glasses and drones, we have also reduced the need to move people around at the pumping stations, which is especially important during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Covid-19 pandemic and opening up of the gas market accelerate digital transformation
Digital transformation is a path that the company was already following, but the pandemic has accelerated that process. Since it began, in March, not only the administrative team, but all of the pipeline controllers working at the Supervision and Control Center (CSC), have been working at home using digital resources that enable them to look after their health. The field activities have been adapted to ensure full operational safety and the use of technological resources has been essential.
In addition to its own technical team, with extensive experience in the business, the TBG has also undertaken the technological challenge of startups. Under an innovative company program, out of a total of 33 registered startups, three were selected to come up with disruptive solutions to the challenges of inspecting gas pumping stations, particularly the acquisition and analysis of data, with a view to making the maintenance procedures even more efficient.
The opening up of the gas market has also been driving digital transformation at the TBG. The setting up of the Capacity Offers Portal (POC) (offerofcapacity.tbg.com.br), an exclusive virtual store, is part of these changes.
The TBG CEO considers that, “Digital transformation is a partner in this program to open up the market, where it is important to engage, in order to adapt to the needs”.