Capgemini partners Statoil to deliver digital innovation in energy sector

Capgemini today announced that it has signed a new strategic framework agreement with Statoil. Under the agreement, Capgemini will support Statoil and its Digital Center of Excellence (CoE) with services to further develop and deliver Statoil's digital roadmap.

Oilfield service companies have also been hurt by weak demand in recent months, as subdued oil prices forced exploration and production companies to cut capital expenditure and defer or cancel contracts. Meanwhile, the industry is coming under increasing pressure from the advancement of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids. The vehicles are set to take the place of the formerly petrol/diesel fuelled automotive industry.

Both factors, as well as a rapid diversification of the formerly oil-dependent OPEC nations have meant that the spread of oil and gas firms into the broader energy industry has become essential for long-term market incumbents looking to avoid being bypassed by disruption. Recently, this saw Shell sign an agreement to buy NewMotion, one of Europe’s largest electric vehicle charging providers, as the international fuel titan prepares for an increasingly electrified market.

Elsewhere, this saw Bain & Company being hired by British oilfield services company Petrofac, to explore options for the group’s North Sea operations, thought to include the potential sale of Petrofac’s North Sea operations. As the oil industry continues to look for new ways to thrive against a backdrop of multiple sources of disruption, other consulting firms are in line to benefit, as in the case of Bain, with fuel companies appearing keen to tap external expertise to weigh up the possibilities.

The latest firm to benefit from this trend is Capgemini, which has signed a new three-year strategic framework agreement with Norwegian multinational oil and gas company Statoil, following a competitive tender process. The international energy company has operations in over 30 countries worldwide, which Statoil is keen to digitalise to ensure the utmost level of efficiency in its operations. In April 2017, Statoil decided to launch a company-wide digital roadmap. A CoE has been established to shape Statoil's digital roadmap, incubate new cross company digital initiatives, and support projects with digital capabilities.

Under the agreement, Capgemini is contracted to support Statoil, and its ambition is to become a digital leader within its core areas, through the development of its Digital Center of Excellence (CoE). Capgemini will subsequently provide services to further develop and deliver Statoil's digital roadmap, through its team of digital experts.

Statoil's digital roadmap, which Capgemini will support, is focused on three distinct technology and value-creation priorities; process digitisation to improve data management and efficiency; advanced analytics to improve understanding of large, complex and diverse data; and robotics and remote control to limit human exposure in physically intense activities. The agreement also covers a number of specialist digital services within a broad scope of work, including data exploration and visualisation, statistical modelling and predictive analytics, data engineering, digital strategy and digital service design. The services will primarily be delivered by Capgemini to Statoil's operations in Norway, but also to other global locations as well.

Anil Agarwal, Head of Capgemini in Norway and Sweden said, “We are very proud and pleased that Statoil has chosen us as a strategic partner for its digitization and we look forward to supporting them on their digital journey. This agreement will further strengthen our well-established and highly valued partnership."