The Role of change management when transitioning to AI-powered inspections.
Welcome to the fourth edition of Inspector's Digital Portal Newsletter by Smartflow.
This edition zooms into three parts:
Part 1. Change management and AI at tank storage terminals and TIC companies
AI is the?word of the year, and the tank storage and TIC sectors are not late to the party whatsoever. Here’s what we learned from our first workshop about AI-powered inspections we organized in collaboration with iTanks where attendees from tank storage and inspection companies came together to look into the future.?
With AI comes a paradigm shift that pushes companies to revisit their operational strategies and embrace change management techniques as part of their strategic growth.?
Change Management
Change management was on top of the attendees’ minds during the workshop, and it was mentioned as an integral part of the transition. When companies migrate from traditional methods to digital solutions powered by AI, they need to do it structurally. It’s not just about introducing new tools; it's about preparing teams for the shift, addressing concerns, and ensuring they're equipped with the skills needed in the new digital era.
AI can pose as a threat to professionals who haven’t been properly trained and guided throughout the digital transition. We’ve seen this trend when adopting digital ways of working for years. The resistance to change has slowed down many industries in their growth and transformation. Oftentimes, this resistance is multifaceted and has deep-seated roots in various aspects, such as fear of redundancy, comfort with specific routines, tools, and methods, skill gap, concerns about reliability, organizational communication, and fear of increased scrutiny.
‘The workshop brought insights from the terminal as well as from the inspection side. Each offered a unique narrative, but many share similar challenges. It's crucial to empower individuals to seek out their own solutions. One might wonder, 'How could this apply within my company or process?' - Jelle Swanenberg COO at Smartflow
Part 2. AI-powered inspections
AI-powered task automation
Tank storage terminal inspections are traditionally a meticulous and labor-intensive process. How can we further streamline these processes through AI?
We are looking into ways AI enables the automation of tasks, such as report generation and inspection data analysis. Looking beyond the obvious benefits like conserving time and resources, we’re witnessing the introduction of new levels of accuracy that traditional methods simply can’t attain.
‘While 'inspection' might sometimes sound like a minor detail, it's actually a significant part of data collection on terminals. It's intriguing to devise applications for this. I believe that advancing one's overview with AI allows for a broader perspective from a distance. Yes, and perhaps even elevating that viewpoint a notch higher. It's vital to understand the resistance, especially since there's so much data to process. It's essential for one to reflect from a considerable distance on a situation and recognize its vitality.’ - Tim Verhoogt , Project Engineer at Evos .
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AI-powered predictive measures
On top of these professionals’ minds, we spotted predictive measures and safety as pillars of interest and how these two could potentially be transformed by AI, given its endless power of deciphering patterns and data. Will early detection of potential issues be leveled up even more so these industrial organizations can reduce downtime and financial implications??
The tank storage and TIC sectors need proactiveness in the way teams operate. The openness to shift from a reactive approach to a proactive one is a positive sign of change.
AI-powered safety
The safety of personnel has always been of utmost concern for both sectors. With AI enhancing the identification of potential hazards in real-time while facilitating immediate remedial actions, companies can go the extra mile to ensure the safety of their employees. The human role evolves from manual oversight to one that manages and interprets AI outputs. Again, change management will be essential in helping teams transition and redefine their roles.??
AI-powered quality
Transitioning from paper to digital ways of working is already one big step to increasing quality and compliance. Long-term benefits such as less human error, real-time communication and notifications, automated reporting, and transparent collaboration between stakeholders are quick to see and easy to measure. Topping that with the integration of AI, we’re witnessing a guarantee that fieldwork inspections adhere to the highest standards.?
Part 3. Transition to digital
As a leading SaaS solution specializing in digitizing inspections for the tank storage and TIC sectors, we recognize the transformative potential of integrating AI into our platform and app.?
Our collaborative workshop with iTanks underscored the industry's eagerness to harness AI's capabilities, with change management emerging as a central theme.?
Transitioning to AI-powered inspections isn't merely about adopting new tools; it's a holistic shift that requires strategic planning, training, and addressing deep-rooted concerns. Benefits like increased efficiency, predictive measures, enhanced safety, and unparalleled inspection quality get a whole new meaning.
It's an exciting era, and as we venture further into AI integration, our focus remains on ensuring that the transition is smooth, empowering, and beneficial for all stakeholders.
Upcoming Webinar: AI-Powered Ship-Shore Operations
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This webinar will explore the potential of AI?within tank storage terminals and port operations.?
About the authors
This Newsletter is a compilation of in-house expertise from Smartflow’s digital transformation specialists. It is brought to you by Stefana Sopco, FortyUnder40 Award winner by StocExpo and Tank Storage Magazine and one of the Top 100 Tank Storage Influencers by Storage Terminals Magazine.?In the last three and a half years, she has been working closely with organizations from the #Energy, #TankStorage, #Maritime, and #TIC sectors to facilitate a smooth transition to digital inspection models.