India-based IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a partnership agreement with French integrated oil and gas firm Total to create a digital innovation centre in India.
Image: TCS signs partnership agreement with Total. Photo: courtesy of Tata Consultancy Services Limited.
Planned to be located in Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra, the digital innovation center aims to explore disruptive technologies and solutions to make operations safer and more efficient. The partnership will initially focus on refining sector.
Total senior vice president and group chief technology officer Marie-Noëlle Semeria said: “For a large industrial group like Total, it is essential to always stay ahead of these topics.
“After having integrated digital solutions within the Group, we now want to invent those of tomorrow by combining Total’s know-how with the agility of TCS.”
As part of this effort, the partners will use real-time data analytics, the Internet of Things, automation, artificial intelligence and agile methodology used to improve industrial efficiency, energy performance and availability rates, Total said.
Total refining & chemicals president Bernard Pinatel said: “With the digital innovation center, we are positioning ourselves as a pioneer working to develop a smart, connected refinery that will allow us to improve our industrial competitiveness. We want to invent the Refinery 4.0.”
The deal allows Total to work with TCS technology and domains experts. TCS will also provide access to Total with its network, structured co-innovation approach and Business 4.0 cooperation framework.
TCS Energy, Resources and EPC Business president Debashish Ghosh said: “The energy and resources sector is one of TCS’ fastest growing business units.
“We are delighted to sign this strategic digital innovation partnership with Total for which we will leverage our Business 4.0 framework, with a focus on agile, intelligent automation, internet of things, analytics and cloud-based solutions.”
Total said that the partnership will be based on the TCS concept of “entrepreneurship-in-residence”.
The new digital innovation center will build on the digital technology initiatives which Total already implemented at its production sites.