OMV uses Synergi Life - Risk Management Module
OMV, the integrated international oil and gas company, is implementing a dynamic approach to project risk management. To do this, their most important tool is DNV's Synergi Life - Risk Management module.
When Dr Huberta Kulmhofer, corporate project risk manager at OMV Aktiengesellschaft, led the process of choosing a software supplier for risk management of major capital projects, it was done according to rigorous corporate guidelines. Several international software suppliers were invited to demonstrate their solutions, and OMV representatives attended software workshops of the shortlisted companies.
“At the end of the process, DNV was the top-ranked company,” says Dr Kulmhofer. “Synergi Life - Risk Management module was ISO-based and best suited to our dynamic risk management strategy for capital projects. It had all the arguments going for it, and the demonstration was very convincing,” she says. Their decision was additionally influenced by important recommendations from international companies, she says.
Dr Kulmhofer has been with OMV since 2004, when she started in the company as a controller. Prior to that she was working as a financial analyst with Hewlett Packard. At OMV she has had several different positions, and is currently stationed in Dubai and working for the Exploration & Production Project in OMV Yemen.
Easy to use
“The Risk Management module is very easy to use. For capital projects a risk management tool is used by international project teams on a frequent basis. If it’s too complicated it won’t be accepted,” says Dr Kulmhofer.
OMV started rolling out the implementation of Risk Management module for major capital expenditure projects in June 2012, starting with its operations in Yemen, Pakistan and Romania. Now, project managers, risk coordinators and the project teams use the Risk Management software module on a regular basis.
“We could more or less take Risk Management module as an out-of-the-box product, with some adaptations and adjustments. We rely on the basics of Risk Management module – following the ISO approach that is important to us. It brings in a dynamic approach regarding risk management, and is showing a new way forward,” she says.
One of the many advantages is that it’s web-based, so it can be used by all ventures, across all geographical regions.
Engineers on your side
“Another key positive point has been our experience with the DNV's software engineers. They’re very experienced, very creative and helpful when it comes to adapting the tool to our needs,” says Dr Kulmhofer.
Other reasons that they chose the Risk Management module was its self-explanatory setup, where there is a good overview, and users are clearly led from one step to the next, from risk identification to risk mitigation and follow-up.
It is possible to upload documents and make statistics, and to compare results over a defined timespan. Reports are created easily, with parameters that are easy to change directly by the user, without the need for extra support from software developers. Automatic alerts can notify risk owners in Outlook according to due dates.
“It has a high level of flexibility,” says Dr Kulmhofer. “You can define and create data fields on your own. The import and export functions are very useful and practical.”
Using different risk matrixes within the same project is possible. “That’s useful, especially when an entire project has many subprojects that use different risk matrixes with different thresholds,” she says.
“Risk Management Module is really appreciated by our project teams, because it rids them of all the files going back and forth. We have one database that’s up-to-date.”
All in all, OMV has been extremely satisfied with both the software and the service provided by DNV.
“The response time we’ve seen, and the discussions we’ve had have shown results. We’ve also inspired DNV, I think, with our ideas. We’re on a very good risk management track compared with other companies,” she says.
Why we chose DNV:
- Top-ranked software in our search process
- Fast response from DNV's software development team
This is what we gained:
- Easy-to-use web-based system
- Dynamic approach to risk management
- High flexibility for adapting to our needs
OMV IN BRIEF
With group sales of EUR 34.05 bn and a workforce of 29,800 employees in 2011, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In exploration and production, OMV is active in two core countries, Romania and Austria, and holds a balanced international portfolio. OMV had proven oil and gas reserves of approximately 1.13 bn boe as of year-end 2011 and a production of around 288,000 boe/d. In Refining and Marketing, OMV has an annual refining capacity of 22.3 mn t and approximately 4500 filling stations in 13 countries including Turkey. In gas and power, OMV sold approximately 24 bcm of gas in 2011.
