Immensa & DNV Launch Global Guideline for Digitization of Energy Sector Spares

Immensa, the Saudi Arabia/UAE-base digital inventory platform specializing in additive manufacturing (AM) for the energy sector, has collaborated with Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to formulate what the partnership is referring to as “the world’s first guideline” on digitizing spare parts for the energy sector. Based in Norway, DNV is the world’s most significant classification society for oil & gas and maritime, with over “60% of the world’s offshore pipelines [] classified to DNV standards”.

In December 2023, Immensa became the first company in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region to achieve the DNV-ST-B203 standard for metal AM parts, enabling it to print functional end-use parts for energy sector clients. According to Immensa and DNV, the primary driver behind the digital inventory ramp-up is addressing the $30 billion in annual losses related to inventory management that energy companies endure currently.

At the core of the new guideline is a threefold structure delineating how to take part files from the virtual to the physical: assessing parts for their digital inventory viability, transferring the viable parts into the digital platform, and manufacturing the viable part files on-demand with AM. The CEO of Immensa, Fahmi Al Shawwa, claims that Immensa’s proprietary AI-based software can assess an astonishing 500,000 parts in 24 hours.

In a press release about Immensa and DNV’s guideline for digitizing spare parts in the energy sector, Al Shawwa said, “We are thrilled to set a new benchmark in the digital transformation of industry alongside our world-class partners at DNV — and today’s news is a game-changer for global supply chains and asset security. Energy companies are demanding the very latest cutting-edge innovation to produce parts locally, and national industrial strategies are focused on the same goal for their wider manufacturing sectors. We are delighted to support the Middle East’s rapid growth, and to be a pivotal player in the $91 billion global energy spare parts market.”

DNV Energy Systems’ Global AM Practice Lead & Technical Authority for AM Certification, Dr. Sastry Kandukuri, said, “We, at the DNV AM team, are delighted to reflect on our successful collaboration with Immensa on this groundbreaking project. The unveiling of the industry’s first-ever guideline on Digital Inventory Readiness Levels marks a significant milestone in [AM], setting a new benchmark and paving the way for future innovations and collaborations.”

This is a pivotal step in helping Immensa capitalize on the company’s recently-announced partnership with Singaporean digital manufacturing enterprise Pelagus 3D, which is targeting maritime services. The two companies unveiled a strategic partnership in Q2 2024 looking to tap what they see as a potentially $2 billion annual opportunity.

While there’s obviously plenty of demand for AM services in the oil industry, the biggest long-term growth prospect for Immensa may be in liquified natural gas (LNG), which represents an ideal combination of Immensa’s target markets of energy and maritime. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) recently signed its first overseas LNG deal, with US LNG developer NextDecade.

Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco, the state oil company of Saudi Arabia, has also made two LNG deals in the US in the last month, signaling where LNG supply chains are headed long-term. The flexibility of digital inventories and sustainability possibilities of on-demand manufacturing both strategically align with the same factors driving increased LNG demand.

Images courtesy of DNV & Immensa