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The oil and gas companies have been the securers of supply, revenue collectors and engines of development for many countries, but with low oil prices, companies and governments are facing major headwinds.
Challenged to reduce costs and improve capital efficiency, many of these companies have cut spending and frozen hiring. Others are considering delaying maintenance and turnarounds to drive down operating expenditures.
Rather than relying on such quick fixes, oil and gas companies need to implement a strategy that yields sustainable benefits as these quick fixes only offer short-termed relief that might not see the company through the stormy gale of low and fluctuating oil prices.
Learning from the energy-related crises of 2008-09, 1997, 1992 and 1986-87, industry observers understand that companies can win with strategic action and by making targeted investments. By collaborating across the industry, making structural changes and optimising internal capability to drive higher efficiency and agility, companies can emerge from uncertain times stronger and more competitive.
Consulting specialists Accenture suggests 10 actionable ideas for oil and gas companies during this trying times.

1. Reset partnerships with core suppliers
In the past crisis, many suppliers were pressured to reduce prices. This time around, many are prepared for this simplistic tactic. It will take a more sophisticated approach for energy companies to take greater advantage of the supplier market.
The first step is to identify strategic suppliers in key categories. With these strategic suppliers – likely in categories such as drilling and completions, engineering, construction, maintenance services, materials and logistics – longer-term agreements should be renegotiated to seek immediate benefits in return for continuing and possibly expanding business.

2. Optimise industry-wide cost structure through better local content development
Local content development policies have been implemented to support agendas to build domestic industries. In some cases, however, inherent inefficiencies among local industry players have decreased competitiveness.
Oil and gas companies should work more collaboratively with local companies to structurally reduce the cost base. This objective can be done through greater transparency – such as competitive open-book sourcing – benchmarking to peers and jointly bridging gaps while maintaining margins.

3. Improve collaboration for effective execution of capital projects
Project teams frequently work with a “pilot mentality”, a notion that assumes each capital project is unique. This approach limits the leverage of best practices across projects, so many projects routinely exceed cost estimates and schedules.
Many capital projects share certain characteristics, and cost benefits can be achieved through standard designs, systems, equipment and components. Industry efforts in this area are already underway at the World Economic Forum, and the outcomes could help most oil and gas companies reduce capital project budgets.

4. Increase sharing of logistics assets and resource capacity across operators
Multiple operators working in environments near each other are purchasing equipment and assets and hiring resources to fulfil similar requirements – an approach that reduces utilisation and productivity.
By consolidating and coordinating demand and sharing logistics assets and resources across operators, large savings can be achieved. For example, a regional logistics control tower can efficiently increase utilisation rates for marine vessels and helicopters.

5. Balance the timing of asset maintenance with opportunity loss
When prices are low, the lost profit opportunity of producing assets is less. Schedules for planned maintenance and turnarounds can be brought forward to the extent possible while balancing timing and opportunity cost.
High performing companies consider the commercial impact of the asset hierarchy in maintenance strategies. Timely turnaround and preventive maintenance optimise maintenance costs and improve overall profitability. Oil and gas companies can optimise late field-life production, and focus on the most critical assets and equipment to “sweat their assets” as prices recover.

6. Equip the field with digital technology to boost productivity
Downturns are clearly the best time to invest in innovative tools and solutions to be better prepared for the future. Accelerating the uptake of digital technology in the field can create tangible differentiation.
There are diverse possibilities to address the industry choke points through digital technologies. Examples include remote operating centres, big data analytics, a mobile-enhanced workforce, materials and equipment tracking.

7. Consolidate internal support functions for a lower cost profile
Integrated operating models for finance, human resources, procurement and information technology can lead to greater efficiency at reduced cost. To achieve this objective, companies can consolidate functions to bring together similar capabilities, eliminating multiple locations that provide similar services to reduce inconsistencies and duplicative services.
Back- and middle-office activities can be run as a service to local operators or transferred to a third party. Consolidation can allow operators to ride on the IT investments made and provide access to standardised IT infrastructure through the “software as a service” approach.

8. Get smarter about people management
Human capital and capability-building should still remain a key priority for any oil and gas company. Innovative solutions should be leveraged to increase the efficiency of training while optimising costs.
Human capital is a key asset of oil and gas companies. Leading companies continue to develop various technical, functional and leadership skills. Areas of technology such as distributed classroom, mobile learning, computer-based training, virtual academies and collaborative on-the-job coaching enable cost-effective and targeted training.

9. Reassess portfolios to deliver greater value
Many oil and gas companies have expanded portfolios internationally and into unconventional oil.
The economic viability of this expansion should be revisited to ensure the intent of the growth agenda is likely to result in greater value. A crisis is always a good opportunity for targeted growth.
Amid low prices for crude, companies are scrambling to re-evaluate expansion initiatives and capital projects. This reevaluation should also include non-performing assets.

10. Develop cost transparency capability across the portfolio
Companies can benefit from having cost visibility across the portfolio of assets, and provide incentives that motivate operators to drive down costs.
Many oil and gas companies have made concerted efforts to optimise costs. However, not many companies are able to manage cost transparency in a consistent manner across their portfolio of assets. Having cost transparency will allow the asset owner to increase sharing of cost optimisation ideas across assets.
Hard times can be an intense motivator
While the business environment may remain difficult and unpredictable, Oil & Gas companies can take action in numerous areas to lessen the blow to the bottom line and emerge more competitive.
Rather than simplistic, across-the-board cutbacks that can weaken a company's long term position, leading companies focus on developing sustainable cost transparency and cost optimisation capability. Companies also use the low oil price environment to invest in training people and implementing digital solutions to improve productivity and profitability.

While low prices for crude are undoubtedly painful for Oil & Gas companies, the leaders will use today’s pain as inspiration to engineer new capabilities that will allow oil and gas companies to be agile in responding to the volatile crude cycle.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/sustainable-strategies-needed-by-oil-companies-amidst-unstable-oi

What does an engineer do all day anyway? Where is the ideal workplace for an engineer? Under what conditions do engineers work? How do engineers carry out their daily activities? These and many more questions that people want answers to surround the interestingly complex personality of an engineer. Unlike other professions or professionals, these questions might be answered rather readily, but with engineering, it is a different ball game.

By definition, an engineer is a person that designs, creates and provides solutions to everyday human needs using a scientific knowledge base. In practice, engineers carry out tasks ranging from designing bridges, writing codes, erecting structures, mining resources to running fortune in thousand of companies.

There are four main branches of engineering in the engineering world: Mechanical, Electrical, Civil and Chemical engineering. One could argue that Electrical and Chemical engineers tend to work in office/labs/workshops, Civil engineers work on site (road/building construction), and Mechanical engineers work all over the place. Of course, that is a very broad statement and there are many, many exceptions.

So, you are encouraged to be open-minded about the type of environment you are willing to work in. You may be surprised that a plant environment ends up being more appealing to you than a desk job (or vice versa). You never know until you try, but engineers hardly work desk jobs.

Your job duties as an engineer are dependent on where you are placed in the engineering cycle. Some engineers will work exclusively in a certain part of the design process (specialists/professionals), some work on the project from start to finish (project engineers, design engineers, project managers) while others will only oversee and assess the project at each stage from design through to delivery (consultants, quality assurance engineers). Quite an array of possible positions in the engineering cycle, but one thing is nearly certain, you won’t be playing the same role in your entire career depending on the nature of the job.

Companies hire engineers because of their problem solving capability and flexibility. Though relatively expensive, engineers can be put into many different roles based on the companies needs at that moment. Throughout the course of a career, or funny enough within the course of a week, an engineer might be an Analyst, Designer, Draftsman, Contractor, Diplomat, Inventor, Technician, Program Manager, etc.
How can a single person handle all these complex tasks and roles that most engineering challenges and jobs would throw at them? Quite simple, team work! Engineers most likely always work in teams. The days of the solitary engineer working alone on a project or problem from start to finish are gone.

Today, most of all engineers work as a member of a team, whether made up solely of engineers or a cross-disciplinary team of engineers, specialists and business people. That is why excellent communication skill is one vital attribute desired of the ideal engineer today by any employer. So refine your skills at writing and get better at public speaking. These are skills you will need if you plan on moving forward in this industry.

Day to day, an engineer in an institution spends the vast majority of his time communicating. This can be as simple as a conversation with the field personnel talking through possible ways to perform the task to something as complicated as a formal meeting with minutes and presentations and the like. If there is an issue, the project engineer is the primary channel through which it gets communicated to the designer and how the solution gets back to the guys performing the work.

The engineer needs to have a solid grasp of the problem to properly communicate it up the chain and an understanding of the solution provided, both to determine if it solves the problem and to communicate it to the people doing the work.

Engineering is a bad profession if you want daily written instructions passed down to you. Engineers do not enjoy the luxury of being spoon-fed. Most engineering employers say: “An engineer gets paid to think, that’s why they get paid so much.” Answers to problems will rarely be given to you. Engineers on the job are challenged in many different directions at once and are required to proffer solutions to all challenges from whatever directions. The best engineers are self-starters and self-motivated multi-taskers who master the art of prioritising.

Engineering school prepares you for this kind of work environment and prepare the individual for future challenges. Some engineers in Nigeria still argue that fact, but what do you think the lectures, practicals, presentations, seminars, project work, Students’ Work Experience Project (SWEP), Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) were meant for? They were specially designed to make great engineers out of engineering students.

Engineers are expected to bring their knowledge and problem solving ability into play in whatever role they find themselves in the engineering cycle and on any engineering project. This is easily achieved by blending all what was learnt in engineering school with all that has been learnt on the job.

The engineer while at work is typically stretched beyond his limits to meet various end challenges towards achieving a common goal which is the completion of a project.

All of the above details the complex work life of the engineer and probably explains the interestingly complex personality of an engineer as he tries to build a better world for all.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/the-complex-work-life-of-an-engineer

Global oil prices have plunged by about half since last summer, when Brent crude, an international benchmark, fell from $115 a barrel in June 2014 to below $45 a barrel in January. On Thursday, Brent crude was trading at $65.84 a barrel, while U.S. crude oil hit a five-month high of $59.40 a barrel.

The drop in price of oil has seen it take a toll on the profits oil giants as reports for the first quarter in 2015, saw most of the oil majors reporting a drop in profit compared to the first quarter of the previous year.

One of the worst hit was Exxon Mobil Corporation which saw its earnings fall 46 percent in the first quarter as a drastic drop in oil prices continued to eat into the energy sector’s profits. The company last week reported quarterly profits of $4.9 billion, or $1.17 a share, compared with $9.1 billion, or $2.10, in the same period last year.

Revenues in the first quarter totalled $67.6 billion, a drop of about 36 percent from first-quarter revenues in 2014 ($106.3 billion).
Exxon Mobil continued to scale back capital and exploration expenditures as part of a multiyear plan to reduce raw material, service and construction costs. The world’s largest publicly traded oil company spent $7.7 billion in the first quarter, a 9 percent drop from a year earlier.

The company had earlier said that it has plans to cut its capital budget every year through 2017, with spending for 2015 reduced to $34billion, or 12percent less than 2014 spending.

Chevron Corporation was no exception to the drop in profit as the company at the weekend reported earnings of $2.6 billion for first quarter 2015, representing a drop of $1.9 billion from the $4.5 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2014.

According to the company’s financial results, foreign currency effects increased earnings in the 2015 quarter by $580 million, compared with a decrease of $79 million a year earlier.

Also sales and other operating revenues in first quarter 2015 were $32 billion, compared to $51 billion in the year-ago period.
The CEO, John Watson said last week while addressing stakeholders said that first quarter earnings declined from a year ago due to sharply lower oil prices, which reduced revenue and earnings in its upstream business. Downstream operations were strong, benefitting from lower feedstock costs and improved refinery reliability.

The Company said that they were responding to the current price environment by capturing cost reductions, pacing new project approvals and further streamlining their portfolio as planned. They are taking a number of deliberate actions to lower cost structure, and they expect these efforts to increasingly show through in the financial results as the year progressed.

The company listed its recent upstream milestones to include the introduction of fuel gas and start-up of the first gas turbine generator at the Gorgon LNG plant, installation of Wheatstone platform topsides and announcement of a natural gas discovery, Isosceles-1, in the Carnarvon Basin in 50 percent-owned Block WA-392-P, all in Australia and the achievement of first liquids from the Bibiyana Expansion Liquid Recovery Unit in Bangladesh.

Other milestones include the announcement of a joint venture to explore and appraise 24 jointly held offshore leases in the northwest portion of Keathley Canyon in the deep water Gulf of Mexico and the ramped up oil-equivalent production at Jack/St. Malo in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico to more than 70,000 barrels per day, both in the United States.

Royal Dutch Shell also saw its earnings for the first quarter fall by 56 percent compared with a year earlier, as improved performance in marketing and refining failed to offset the effects of the plunge in oil prices, said the company in its press release.

The Anglo-Dutch company’s profit, adjusted for inventory changes and one-time items, was USD3.2 billion, compared with USD7.3 billion in the same period a year earlier. Still, the results beat analysts’ consensus forecasts, and Shell’s shares rose about 1.5 percent in morning trading in London.

But analysts said that there was cause for concern in Shell’s results. In an indication of how quickly a drop in oil prices can erode margins, the company said that its earnings from finding and producing oil and gas were USD675 million for the quarter, compared with USD5.7 billion a year earlier.

Shell said that the price it received for oil in the first quarter was 52 percent lower than the same period in 2014, while the price of natural gas fell by 27 percent. The fall in prices directly cut USD4.7 billion from earnings.

The company confirmed that it would cut capital expenditure through the year till 2018, this development could be seen as the company suspended its $12billion Bonga deep water project in Nigeria which was supposed to be given an FID in December 2014. The company also plans to sell off more assets in the various countries it operates. So far in 2015, the company has sold off two assets (OML 29 and OML 18) for over $2billion in Nigeria.

BP, based in London, reported a drop in earnings of 20 percent. Adjustment for one-time items and inventory changes declined to $2.6 billion, compared with $3.2 billion in the first quarter of last year.

The drop was mostly a result of crude prices that averaged $54 a barrel in the first quarter of this year, compared with $108 a barrel in the period a year earlier. Profit at the company’s crucial exploration and production unit slumped to $600 million, compared with $4.4 billion a year earlier.

Partly compensating for that drop were refining and exploration earnings of $2.2 billion, compared with $1 billion a year earlier, and $449 million worth of tax credits, mainly in the United States and Britain.

BP took an additional $332 million provision for loss claims stemming from the deadly 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, bringing total charges to $43.8 billion.

Despite the lower earnings, BP also said it would hold its dividend steady at 10 cents a share.
BP is benefiting from the streamlining measures that Mr. Dudley was forced to put in effect to pay for damages from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

French oil giant, Total, also announced a 22percent fall in first quarter profits due to slumping oil prices and disruption of its activities because of violence in Yemen and Libya.

The company said in a statement that profits for the first three months of the year dropped to $2.6billion from $3.3billion during the same period last year, on 30% lower sales of $42.3billion.

The company also said that the profits slide amounted to 22 percent in adjusted terms compared to the first quarter of 2014. But it said that erosion was partially offset by a 10percent hike in production to 2.4million barrels per day, and capital gains realised on asset sales.

The numbers were largely in sync with the first quarter figures revealed by British rival BP Tuesday which said its profits had dipped 26% to 2.6billion.

The CEO Patrick Pouyanne cited the positive impact of total’s push to cut $1.2billion in operating costs, and profits made on $5billion in assets Total has already sold out of a total of $10billion it has decided to shed.


The Nigerian Stage
The outlook has remained gloom in the oil sector and Nigeria is not isolated from the mix. This has already reared its head in the country’s poorly managed oil and gas sectors with reduced local spending and suspended FIDs on yet to be commissioned deepwater projects.

The oil service companies are hit by the woes in the oil sector as quite a lot of them have had several contracts delayed or cancelled thereby causing them to run on deficits and very lean budgets. As of today, two of the major oil service companies in the country, Haliburton and Baker Hughes have had to cut staff strength globally and their Nigerian operations accounted for a good number of the staff cut. Some other service companies have had cause to cut its staff strength with some other companies preferring to adopt a wage reduction principle.

Local contractors are already hard hit as all the oil majors have listed a reduction in one-off disposable items, construction costs as well as other sundry costs spending. This would affect the local economy and the real sector that had recently been boosted by the growth of the country’s oil and gas sector in its era of prosperity.

It remains to be seen what the outlook would be for the rest of the year with new developments like the Iran Peace Deal negotiations which market analysts and experts predict would cause a further crash in prices, but one certain thing is that the oil majors have all put in place measures to help them check the trend of falling prices.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/global-oil-market-the-giants-struggle-in-q1-2015

Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote plans to quadruple the supply of gas to Nigeria by building pipelines that may be backed by Carlyle Group LP and Blackstone Group LP, the world’s two biggest private-equity firms.

Dangote, disclosed this in an interview over the weekend that the pipes will increase the amount of gas available in Africa’s biggest economy to 4 billion standard cubic feet per day from 1 billion.

Dangote will invest between $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion in two sub-sea 550-kilometer (341-mile) pipelines running from Nigeria’s oil and gas-producing Niger River delta region to the commercial hub of Lagos.

While Nigeria has gas reserves of about 180 trillion cubic feet, more than any other African country, most of what is produced gets flared or exported because of a lack of infrastructure to transport it to local companies and households.

Boosting domestic supply will help increase electricity generation in a country where power cuts are common and about 70 percent of electricity plants are fuelled by gas, according to Dangote.

“Having an additional 3 billion scf will sort out all the gas issues we have today in Nigeria,” he said in the lounge of his house in the Victoria Island district of Lagos, overlooking a half moon-shaped swimming pool. “It’s badly needed.”

Dangote, who has interests ranging from cement to sugar and oil refineries, plans to start laying the pipelines before the end of the year, he said.

The first one should is expected to be ready by mid-2017.

The International Finance Corp. is considering an investment in the pipelines as are Blackstone and Carlyle, he said.
“We have a lot of companies that are very interested in participating,” Dangote said.

Blackstone and Carlyle said in August they would partner with Dangote Industries Ltd., the holding company for the billionaire’s operations, to invest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Blackstone said its Johannesburg-based partner Black Rhino would jointly invest as much as $5 billion with the company on energy and other infrastructure in the region.

The pipelines could be used by oil producers in Nigeria that currently have little incentive to sell gas from their fields in the country, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc. and Exxon Mobil Corp., Dangote said.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/forum/topics/dangote-partners-blackstone-to-improve-gas-supply?xg_source=activity

A structural engineer is an individual who is concerned with the structures and buildings with his essential job responsibilities include designing, planning, researching and inspecting the structural system of the building.

Becoming a structural engineer is not one of the hardest things in life but it sure requires dedication and attention to details to become one. This is because a structural engineer pays serious attention to details of a structure while taking social, economical, environmental and various aesthetic factors around the structure into cognisance.

This piece seeks to highlight the early path that is required from a person aspiring to become a structural engineer as it is one of the unpopular yet critical engineering disciplines in infrastructural development and growth of a nation.

The path to becoming a structural engineer in Nigeria starts from the tertiary level when you apply to study Civil Engineering after building a strong science and technology base at the secondary education level with knowledge of mathematics, physics and technical drawing.

Structural engineering is taught within the ambits of Civil Engineering, hence individuals willing to make a career out of Structural Engineering must study Civil Engineering and in Structural Engineering. Though structural engineering plays a crucial role in determining the infrastructure of the nation yet it has its own unique reasons to be considered as an independent part of civil engineering.

Structural engineering is a special section in civil engineering and the individual working as structural engineers is experts in designing waterways system, sewage, roadways, buildings and bridges. The students pursuing course in structural engineering are eligible to assist civil engineer in designing the structures and various structural materials.

Since structural engineering deals with designing scientific structures and buildings therefore various sections of higher mathematics like trigonometry, calculus and geometry should be included as the main subject in the high school level. Apart from mathematics, physics is considered to be another important subject in structural engineering. The applying principles of this subject help in sorting out issues related to practical problems. Though you can choose these subjects in your college but you will be lagging behind in the rat race.

The tertiary institutions provides courses in structural engineering that includes subjects like the dynamics, statics , material engineering ,graphic engineering, conceptual designing structural analysis and computes softwares. Since structural designing is all about designing structures therefore structural designing deals with material used in construction.

Apart from the mentioned subjects the university also includes subjects like technology, designing, computer, geography and art. The universities offering this course aim in creating an all rounder out of every student. The courses ensure that students studying the structural engineering can compete and relate comfortably with their contemporaries in the other disciplines of engineering, like the electrical and mechanical engineering. The students also undergo the core classes essential for any programs of engineering.

The course concludes with a certificate and may write a professional exam to obtain a license to begin a career as a structural engineer. Though bachelor degree from recognized institute permits you to begin a career in structural engineering however every student has an opportunity to pursue higher studies.

It is essential that the student attends regular structural engineering conferences to enrich his \her repertoire of knowledge which is organized every year to obtain knowledge, gain some experience and meet with experienced structural engineers that will be in attendance.

The entire course of structural engineering is an amalgamation of theoretical and practical lessons. The course is designed according to the necessity of the student .The main aim of the course is to educate and enhance the inner capabilities of the students. In fact structural engineering is an extremely challenging field and few can excel in it .However the successful students are awarded with great opportunities and also acquire great knowledge during the period of practice.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/the-path-to-becoming-a-structural-engineer

When you think you’ve seen it all, you get a shocker! Everyday things evolve and the automobile world is not left behind.
With the development that has been over the years such as power steering, turbo engines, windscreen wipers, air conditioning, radio and music systems, cars are now being built to be a fully functional extension of our life- and might even come with the auto-pilot feature. As time goes, the inventions of our time are gradually converging. In a few years intelligent cars will hit the market.

Volkswagen the German automaker showcased gesture control for their Golf R car at the CES which held in January. This means that almost every function you want the car to carry out is just a gesture away. You don’t have to touch any buttons, just swipe! Whether you want to roll up your window, swipe! Adjust your rear or side mirror, just swipe! It also comes with the wireless charging feature where the car is parked above a charging plate (which will be in proximity with the underbody of the car) and as soon as the control unit confirms communication with the car, contactless transmission of energy through electromagnetic field between two coils (one in the Golf and the other on the plate) commences.

BMW presented a completely automated parking (even for multistorey parking) at the event. This is possible through the Remote Valet Parking Assistant (RVPA) installed in a BMW i3 prototype. The RVPA makes use of advanced laser scanner that registers the environment and identify impediments. It also comes with a smart watch which allows the driver to activate the parking system and exits the car. Once the vehicle parks itself it locks and awaits to be called through voice command or the watch. They also showcased new lighting inventions like the laserlight technology, which gives headlights on their new BMW i8 a range of 600m that is like 0.6 km, twice that of a regular headlight.

This era of smart watch, Hyundai showcased a product that should be in the market later this year. Basically it is equipped with an app that finds your car and asks for a passcode. The watch will show a map and address of your vehicle and direct you to the location with the help of Google Maps. The app also has the ability to remotely start the engine, stop it, flash lights, initiate air conditioning, lock and unlock doors. Connectivity is key in this vehicles as manufacturers are looking to use infotainment systems that mirror the drivers Apple or Android smartphones. Volkswagen is ensuring that Apple’s Siri can read, compile and transmit text messages to the driver. They are also seeking to use Parkopedia which is the largest supplier of parking space information, which allows users to find available parking space based on availability and real-time information.



Autonomous driving can change our society in ways we can’t imagine yet but because our focus is mainly o technology. A car can go from being a mere means of transportation to becoming a mobile living space, it can go from self-propelled to self-reliant, stress-free machine. Mercedes-Benz showcased their F 015 Luxury in Motion research vehicle which has a lounge like interior. The vehicle is equipped with sensors, camera and radar so it can drive itself to wherever its destination is. If you know Benz, you’ll know they aim to please. The seating arrangement in the car is furnished with four rotating lounge chairs covered in leather that allow you to face other occupants while the car drives itself. If the driver wants to regain control all he has to do is swivel around and the steering will automatically emerge from the front. The vehicle also has six display screens integrated into the instrument panel, rear and side panels making the car some sort of digital arena.


New materials were used to develop this new car giving it ‘smart body’. It’s a combination of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, aluminum and high-strength steels which lightweight engineering experts were able to make the body 40% lighter than vehicles produced today.

Mercedes hasn’t gone into detail but says the drivetrain consists of a hydrogen fuel cell stack, a lithium-ion battery and two electric motors rated at 134 horsepower each. Then there is the autonomous tech, which relies not only on sensors but also on Car-2-Car and Car-2-Object communications technology. Already previewed in the S-Class-based S500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE prototype, multiple sensors, advanced 3D cameras and highly-detailed digital maps help drive the car without the need for an actual driver.

With a full battery (which can be charged at home via cable-less inductive means), the F015 is capable of driving up to 124 miles. And with a full tank of hydrogen, this range increases to 684 miles, by having the fuel cell top up the battery whenever the charge is running low.
Last year, Benz was the first company to be given an official license to test-drive self-driving cars in public. Hopefully in two or three years we would get these machines on the roads.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/automobile-when-the-computer-meets-the-electric-car

Read here: http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/will-tech-giants-apple-google-take-over-the-world-s-auto-industry?xg_source=activity

You just got accepted into the University which is the college of your dreams? or that safety school? it doesn’t matter, you have decided to spend your next few years there to study engineering. However, you don’t have a clue what you are doing. You don’t know which field of engineering is right for you, you have no idea how difficult it is to find internships. How exactly do you get through your first year of college life as an engineering student? These are suggested steps that could guide you throughout your stay in college

1. Quit procrastinating
This is the most common vice that limits Engineering students in achieving their goals. As a student of this highly tasking discipline, you are going to realize that you have a lot less time on your hands. If you want your 4.0 GPA, to actually contribute to your club, to obtain internships in the future, to have time for your friends and time to yourself, time to have fun, and time to clean laundry – you need to quit procrastinating. Not only are classes going to get harder in the university, but you are going to have other responsibilities (perhaps even more important than grades) that will consume your time. In this discipline, time is very essential.


2. Explore the different disciples in engineering
Overtime it’s been proven that a lot of first timers do not know much about different types of engineering and probably have no idea which field is right for them. Those who know their engineering fields and are adamant that they want to be a chemical engineer may find themselves questioning their choice after taking organic chemistry classes. Regardless of your knowledge of the various types of engineering, it’s important to keep an open mind.

There are many factors to consider while choosing an engineering specialization: future job demand, programs at your college, your own interest, etc. Most schools offer introductory courses which can expose you to a few of the different types of engineering. We think the best way to find what is absolutely right for you is to be directly involved with engineering clubs, have a professor tell you about his/her research, or talk to engineering upperclassmen about their classes. The earlier you identify what interests you the better; this way you waste less time taking the wrong classes and have more opportunities to join programs related to your chosen field.

Remember that leaving engineering is also an option. University is supposed to expose you to all different fields, in addition to the different types of engineering. Perhaps you may find your true passion in medicine or even literature.

3. Choose your college friends
It is believed that most people can be happy in any school that they go to, provided that they find meaningful people as college friends. These people are going to grow with you and they will be very influential in your life for the next four years. Your first few weeks of college life are going to be filled with extremely friendly people. Take advantage of that. No other time in college will people be so open to meeting you. However, remember that the friends you make in the first weeks will not necessarily be the college friends that remain with you a few years later.

Click here to continue: http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/a-guide-for-first-year-engineering-students-in-the-university

ABOUT THE COMPANY
We are the Engineering Network, Nigeria’s largest social online and mobile presence of Nigerian engineering and technical professionals. With over 25,000 engineering professionals on our network, it offers an excellent opportunity to share updated information about happenings in the Engineering sector.

Job Classification: Internship

Job Title: Office Assistant (Secretary)

Job Location: Lagos

Job Qualification:
OND or HND or B.Sc.

Job Requirements:
The applicant must have high level of response and reasoning, must be computer savvy ( Ms office), should be willing to learn, have good communication skills. He or she must also be able to work under pressure.

The Applicant must meet the following criteria:
Managing necessary paperwork
Applicant must be residing in Lagos

Application Deadline:
11th April, 2015.

How to Apply:
Send your CV to: info@engineer-ng.net

1) SIMDUL SHAGAYA
Simdul Shagaya is the founder and CEO of Konga and Dealdey. With over 10 years experience in new media and investment banking, Shagaya, whose corporate Africa stints include Google, Lucent Technologies and Rand Merchant Bank in South Africa, launched e-Motion Advertising in November 2005, a Lagos-based integrated marketing and communications agency. In March 2011, the serial entrepreneur then founded Dealdey (Africa’s answer to Groupon), which grew to be Nigeria’s leading daily deals site.
Nigeria is a market with deep mobile penetration and fast growing access to the internet,” coupled with the fact that the country’s largest city, Lagos with a population of 18-million people making it the epicenter of one the largest urban cities only has two world-class shopping malls, the Palms, which opened in 2005 and Ikeja Mall, in 2011, Shagaya swiftly launched Konga, a spin-off from Dealdey.

His primary goal with Konga, was to aggregate the youngest and fastest-growing market that was dispersed, under-served and that traditional retailers were simply failing to reach; “Konga is a word that is found across the numerous ethnic groups on the continent. And every day, consumers in Nigeria and across West Africa started to log onto Konga for products that they otherwise were purchasing in physical retail stores.

In early 2013, Konga raised a $10 million Series A round from Investment AB Kinnevik and Naspers. In Q2 2013, Konga beta-tested 'Konga Mall,' opening up the Konga platform to third-party retailers and moving away from a pure first-party online retail model. In late 2013, Konga finalized a $25 million Series B round from previous investors, Investment AB Kinnevik and Naspers, the largest single round raised by a single African startup at the time. On November 29, 2013, Konga.com crashed and remained offline for 45 minutes as a result of unprecedented traffic stemming from its Black Friday promotion. Konga sold more during the first six hours of the promotion than it did in the prior month.

Konga officially launched its third-party retail platform in the first half of 2014, rebranding it as 'Marketplace' from 'Konga Mall'; by the end of 2014, Konga's Marketplace featured 8,000 merchants, beating internal targets of 1,000 merchants eight-fold. Konga received USD $3.5 million worth of orders during its 2014 Black Friday promotion, compared to USD $300,000 during the promotion in the previous year. Konga reportedly grew 2014 revenue 450% from 2013. In late 2014, Konga finalized a $40 million Series C round from Investment AB Kinnevik and Naspers, the largest single round raised by a single African startup to date. Despite reports that Naspers acquired 50% of Konga in 2013, publicly-traded Naspers disclosed that its stake in Konga after the October 2014 Series C investment was 40.22%. Konga was reportedly valued at approximately $200 million as of the Series C.

In January 2015, Konga was ranked as the most visited Nigerian website by Alexa Internet. According to CEO Sim Shagaya, Konga "leads the field in Nigeria today [early 2015] in Gross Merchandise Value," a metric measuring the total value of merchandise sold through a particular marketplace.


2. JASON NJOKU
Jason Njoku is CEO and Co-Founder of iROKO Partners. He graduated from the University of Manchester in 2005 with a Chemistry degree. After several failed business attempts in the world of online media, he moved back home with his mum at the age of 29. Whilst back at home, he observed his mum’s love of watching Nollywood films. A search for a reliable source of films online yielded nothing, and so the idea to stream Nollywood films online was born. In 2010, Jason moved to Lagos and set-up iROKO Partners.

Nollywood Love was the company’s first platform, streamed on YouTube. To-date, iROKO Partners is YouTube’s largest partner in Africa. In 2012, the company launched iROKOtv, a platform to stream Nollywood movies. The site has recorded over 800,000 registered users and today, 14 million hours of movies have been watched in 178 countries around the world.

iROKO Partners was also one of the first companies in the Nigerian digital music scene, launching iROKING in 2011. The platform has almost 100,000 registered users who have access to over 35,000 tracks by 400+ artists. Across all the iROKO Partners’ platforms, 193,000,000 minutes of entertainment are consumed every month.

iROKING has also launched mobile applications for its music application on the iOS, Android, Windows and Symbian (Nokia) mobile handsets. The application allows access to thousands of the latest Nigerian tracks and stream songs over Wifi or 3G
In 2012, Forbes Africa named Jason as one of Africa’s Top Young Millionaires to watch. He has also been named as one of London’s Top Black Men of Power in Black Enterprise Magazine. IROKO Partners has over 110 employees in offices in Lagos, London and New York.


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Fire is one of the oldest known hazards in engineering environments and the need to put this hazard in check has seen many scientists and engineers devising means of effectively putting it out as it could be very difficult to keep it out in some engineering environments.
We know a handful of agents that can extinguish fire; detergent in water, sand in water, the standard fire extinguisher, but when you hear that sound waves can put out fire too you begin to wonder how.

Engineering students of George Mason University, Fairfax Virginia created a new type of fire extinguisher that uses sound waves to put out fire. It is a handheld device that uses pressure waves produced by low-frequency sound. The prototype extinguisher was developed by two innovative and creative students Viet Tran a computer engineer and Seth Robertson an electrical engineer, who managed to squeeze their idea into a small portable device.

Remember the Fire Triangle? The Fire triangle illustrates the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel, and an oxidizing agent (usually oxygen). A fire naturally occurs when the elements are present and combined in the right mixture, which means that fire is actually an event culminating from the interchange between three things rather than a single thing.

A fire can be prevented or extinguished by removing any one of the elements in the fire triangle. For example, covering a fire with a blanket removes the "oxygen" part of the triangle and can extinguish a fire.

This device works on the principle of keeping the fire triangle disjointed or incomplete, which is achieved by using the pressure waves to displace the oxygen around the other components of the Fire Triangle around any fire it aims to extinguish.
This technology depends on the way sound waves forcibly moves oxygen as they move through physical space; and we all know fire feeds on oxygen and if fire is starved of oxygen it dies. The need to achieve a proper displacement of the air around the fuel and heat meant the students had to deploy a collimator, which would help narrows the beam of waves or particles to effect displacement of oxygen from the fire.


full story here http://go.engineer-ng.net/profiles/blogs/engineering-innovation-new-device-to-put-out-fire-using-sound-wav

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell), has completed the assignment of its interest in oil mining lease (OML) 29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (OML29 and NCTL) and related facilities in the Eastern Niger Delta. Its interests in OML29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line were assigned to Aiteo Eastern E&P Company Limited. Total cash proceeds for Shell amount to some $1.7 billion.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/forum/topics/shell-completes-sale-of-oml-29-to-aiteo-eastern-e-p-company

ojmaroni247:
Funny list ,wat happened to Transocean,bakerhudges,weatherford,...Op u must be very high on poo,most of those u listed doesnt pay up to 250k per month for a start.

The article stated full Nigerian and indigenous oil servicing companies. The others you mentioned have foreign element

The Nigerian oil and gas industry has recorded a lot of growth since oil was first discovered in Oloibiri, in the year 1956. At that point in the history of the nation’s oil industry, all activities (which includes exploration, production and servicing) was provided by foreign companies.

But today, some fifty years after the discovery of oil, the colouration of the industry is now ‘green’ (we expect it to be greener) as indigenous firms now fly the country’s flag proudly in the oil and gas terrain.
The recent successes of the Local Content Act, 2010 in the oil sector and the prospects of increased local content that will be recorded when the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is enacted could only be better imagined.

This article seeks to highlight the key Oil and Gas Service Companies in the sector who have kept the Nigerian dream of a truly Nigerian oil sector alive through the provision of dedicated and qualitative services to the oil companies operating in the country.

Here are the top five oil and gas servicing companies who have consistently been on the map flying the Nigerian flag in no particular order:



1. AOS Orwell:

AOS Orwell was formed in 2011 following the merger of AOS (Africa Oilfield Services Ltd) and Orwell Oil & Gas International. AOS Orwell is a merger of two Nigerian-based oil service companies, forming the largest indigenous servicing company in the region.

AOS Ltd was founded and registered in the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1981 and is recognised as West-Africa's leading provider of Downhole Drilling Tools, Fishing Services and Wireline Pipe-Recovery Services to the Oil & Gas industry. AOS also provided fully API certified Machine-Shop Services and has a reputation for providing experience, expertise and top of the range dependable, reliable and 'fit for purpose' technology.

In 1992 AOS established its Wireline Division and has more than 200 man years of field experience in Wireline Pipe Recovery and is renowned for its expertise in this domain. Through a series of joint ventures and partnerships established with international "Blue-chip" OEM's, AOS has extended its portfolio of technology introduction into West Africa.

Orwell International (Oil & Gas) Nig Ltd was previously a member of the Orwell Group in Aberdeen, one of the largest independent equipment rental companies in Europe. It became a privately owned indigenous company in 2000 and continued to grow in both size and reputation to become one of fastest growing indigenous oilfield Service Company in Nigeria.

AOS Orwell builds on 30 years' of experience in oil well construction, process automation & remedial services and drilling tool rental in Nigeria. It delivers access to the world's best technology through long-standing relationships with world class OEM's such as Emerson, NOV, FMC, SDI, DSI, Tercel and others, as well as true local content gained through its investment in its management and staff in Nigeria, Uganda and Ghana.

AOS Orwell now operates from a main head office and operating bases in Port Harcourt. These facilities provide a combined area of more than 64,000 square meters. AOS Orwell has a foreign and indigenous management team headed by the Femi Omotayo who has several years of experience in the Oil servicing industry.


2) Delta Afrik:
The Company was incorporated in August 2003 under the Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is jointly owned by DeltaTek Engineering Limited (100% Nigerian Engineering Company) and Worley Parsons. This was to fill the niche for indigenous professionals to be actively involved in the Oil & Gas, Power, Infrastructures and other industries in order to increase local capacity and to help meet the challenges of creating and sustaining a visible presence and solutions in today’s competitive market.

Worley Parsons is a leading global provider of professional services to the resources & energy sectors, and the complex process industries. They cover the full asset spectrum, both in size and lifecycle, from the creation of new assets, to services that sustain and improve operating assets. Its business has been built by working closely with their customers through long term relationships, anticipating their needs and delivering inventive solutions through streamlined, proprietary project delivery systems. Strong growth continues to characterize its performance to provide tailored services to their customers.
The Company provides a range of services which include Engineering studies, Front Engineering Design (FEED), detailed Engineering, procurement, construction management and project management to name a few.

DeltaAfrik Engineering Limited was recently awarded a contract to do conceptual master planning for developing the industrial city for the Akwa Ibom State Government. The Ibom Industrial City project is intended to provide basic infrastructure for various industries such as petrochemical plants, power plant, gas plant, commercial port, recreational and tourist attractions, commercial and residential developments, etc. It is envisioned to be a multi-billion dollar project phased over the next 20-25 years and first of its kind in the country similar to industrial and commercial cities developed in other parts of the world.



3. Kaztec Engineering Limited.

Kaztec Engineering Limited (Kaztec) is one of the fastest-growing engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) companies in Nigeria. Established in 2005, the company has already completed several projects. Kaztec’s breakthrough project came in 2007, when it was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to construct a 24-inch diameter, 107-kilometer long gas pipeline to convey gas to a gas fired power plant in Calabar from an offshore gas producing facility in Adanga. Based on its successful performance, Kaztec secured another contract from NDPHC in 2009, to rehabilitate and upgrade its gas metering facilities and perform integrity assessment tests on some of its existing gas pipelines.

In 2010, Kaztec was awarded a contract; TB-1921, by Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited (Addax) to install subsea pipelines and topsides on Oil Mining Lease 123, offshore Calabar. Installing pipelines, risers and other subsea equipment and connecting them to newly-installed platforms and topside facilities required the full support of Kaztec’s fleet, which currently include the Ekulo Cheyenne, Ekulo Tornado, Ekulo Spirit and Ekulo Explorer. Kaztec also utilized remotely operated vehicles and air and saturation diving support in its execution of TB-1921.

Kaztec completed Campaign 2 of the TB-1921 contract in 2011 and started working on Campaign 3 immediately afterwards. By mid-2012, Kaztec and Addax had agreed to work together under an alliance framework based on the success of both Campaigns. The alliance framework entails the collaboration of personnel from Kaztec and Addax in the performance of the engineering, procurement, construction and installation, as opposed to the standard client-contractor relationship. This model ensures that Kaztec continues to develop its capacity as a full EPCI contractor and that TB-1921 projects are completed on-time and below budget.
Kaztec has received ISO 9001:2008 Certification and is currently a member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM), International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) and Pipeline Professional’s Association of Nigeria (PLAN).

Kaztec is currently developing an oil and gas industrial facility on 531-hectares of land in Snake Island, Lagos. This facility is being developed in stages and when completed will include a fabrication yard, pipe coating facility, pipe mill, engineering base, office space, residential buildings, helipad, among other structures. The company is also acquiring more vessels to support its offshore engineering capabilities.
Kaztec is a subsidiary of the Chrome Group; a conglomerate with many subsidiaries operating in various sectors of the oil and gas industry, such as exploration and production, servicing, petroleum and petroleum products trading, logistics and inspection services.


4. NETCO Limited
National Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO) is Nigeria’s 1st National Engineering Company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). NETCO was established in 1989 as a Joint Venture company (JV) between NNPC and American Bechtel Incorporation, a world renowned engineering company.

NETCO started commercial operations in 1990 to acquire engineering technology through direct involvement in all aspects of engineering in the Oil and Gas industry. NETCO’s strategic vision is to provide Basic / Detailed Engineering, Procurement, Construction Supervision, Project Management, Quality Assurance & Quality Control, Environmental Consulting and Training.

Between August 1990 when NETCO started commercial operations to 1996, NETCO worked alongside Bechtel staff to execute more than 50 engineering projects. These include the Chevron Onshore Gas Plant of the Escravos Gas Project Phase 1 where more than 143,000 engineering man hours was worked. This project was the most technological advanced engineering effort ever undertaken in Nigeria by Nigerians.

The joint venture between NNPC and Bechtel lasted until 1996 when Bechtel exercised its option under the JV agreement and withdrew. NNPC took necessary steps to purchase Bechtel’s shares thereby making NETCO a wholly owned subsidiary with effect May 1st 1997.

Since the exit of Bechtel, NETCO has executed many significant projects and was awarded the prestigious ISO 9001 Quality Certificate in May 2000 by Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI). This achievement is the first by any indigenous engineering company in Nigeria. BVQI also went ahead to award NETCO its prestigious 1SO 14001 Environmental Management System in 2004.
NETCO as the first engineering company of choice has been pursuing the domestication of engineering capacity in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas industry since 1990. NETCO has taken its support for the Local Content to a new level by integrating engineers from other Nigerian Engineering Companies into its project teams with the view of spreading engineering knowledge to as many Nigerians as possible.



5. OWEL- LINKSO GROUP.
Owel-Linkso Group is an entrepreneurial and services company which has delivered challenging gas infrastructural projects and excellent management solutions to the varied engineering, construction, procurement and operational needs of our clients in the oil and gas industries.
Linkso Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Owel-Linkso Group is a multidisciplinary services provider providing engineering and consultancy, project management, inspection and certification, facilities operation and maintenance, and manpower services to the Nigerian Oil and Gas, Power and Construction Industries.

Linkso's proven capabilities in these core business area have supported the onshore and offshore oil and gas industry by bringing together to a project employees and technical expertise in related fields from across the world. This has resulted in Linkso's recognized standing within the oil and gas community as a leading provider of services solutions within these business areas with a quality management system certified to ISO 9001 : 2008 Quality Management System Standard,
Over the past decade, the Group by partnering with reputable international and local companies has expanded the depth and breadth of its service quality, with a team of highly skilled and experienced professionals.
Owel-Linkso as an entrepreneurial company has championed various projects and initiatives delivering; gas infrastructure and utilities projects, Natural Gas Liquid extraction and processing facilities and agro allied industries.
Adopting Global best practices in project development and execution, the company has partnered on various projects with local and international investors, including; international oil companies (IOCs), Equity fund managers and foreign Government Agencies
Organizationally, Owel-Linkso is structured to give focused attention to projects and service delivery. Thus able to cover the full spectrum of the project life circle through its various subsidiaries and service divisions, but flexible enough to allow for optimal use of personnel and deployment of skills and capabilities through management and project teams for efficient project delivery.

http://go.engineer-ng.net/m/blogpost?id=6404812%3ABlogPost%3A103321

Microsoft, alongside Fate Foundation and Mara Mentors have designed a mentorship programme called the ‘Cloudpreneur Project’ that will see twenty Nigerian start-ups enjoying mentorship aimed at providing participating startup with entrepreneurship, Cloud and ICT training.

Managing Director of Microsoft Nigeria, Kabelo Makwane, while explaining the idea behind the Cloudpreneur Project said the project seeks to empower young business owners to contribute to the social and economic growth of the country.

Continue here: http://go.engineer-ng.net/forum/topics/microsoft-to-mentor-20-nigerian-start-ups-under-cloudpreneur-proj