These are just a few of the projects CourTechnology has worked on in the past.
WIRELESS NETWORKING COMPANY FOR INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS – MINING, PORTS AND AIRPORTS
ALBERTA, CANADA
Bringing specialized skills and knowledge to assist this organization in making the best possible business decisions. Provide oversight and leadership in executing projects from planning to completion. I play the role of advisor, planner, and leader in working with internal and external clients to devise and implement solutions related to process or quality improvement. A valuable resource to stakeholders seeking to identify and correct inefficiencies in workflow and processes.
CourTechnology involvement:
Managing wireless network solution projects (mining fleet systems) for the mining industry. Network survey through design and deployment and ongoing network support.
Created a supporting Project Management Office (PMO) for the organization, including governance, policy and procedures for Services division.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - RFP/RFI and evaluation of six (6) different ERP product and integrator services companies. Created an evaluation matrix to weight a scoring of the different features, services and business functionalities of each ERP proposal and vendor presentations.
Project Manager - ERP implementation:
o Managed ERP Integrator
o Involvement with installing the software
o moving financial data over to the new system
o configuring users and processes
o training users on the software
Statement of work for purchase order contract development for new wireless projects.
ELECTRIC BUS PROGRAM – MUNICIPALITY
ALBERTA, CANADA
The Electric Bus Program Office (or EBPO) is responsible for delivery of a new battery-electric bus fleet, including building infrastructure, charging equipment, software control systems and working with departments, branches, sections and units to introduce new capability across the City where it is needed to facilitate a smooth transition from diesel to electric.
Electric Bus Program – Project Manager/Change Manager
Change Manager - ensuring projects (change initiatives) met objectives on time and budget by increasing employee adoption and usage. Focused on the people side of change, including changes to business processes, systems, and technology, job roles and organization structures. Lead Business Change Management working groups in coordination with the program manager, project managers, and working group leaders;
Identify key change champions across the City, such as change sponsors, positive change agents, and management staff who might be impacted and build a change (network) coalition for positive impact;
Build and maintain effective change management through activities such as educating program and change sponsors on their role, ensuring they understand the benefits that the change will provide and optimizing the use of their time;
Build commitment through effective communication: a communication plan is developed and maintained to ensure that expectations of the program remain in line with reality;
Acknowledge/manage resistance to the electric bus / new or changed business processes associated with the program;
Facilitate communications between major internal and external stakeholders, including public relations, site partners, and implement a communications plan and business change management plan.
Workforce Development and Labour Strategy – created by designing a process within the City with working groups that proactively anticipate current and future hiring needs about the implementation of an Electric Bus Fleet. Ensuring the City has the resources needed to meet its business goals for its Electric Bus Program;
Using business analytics, finance, and input from HR and procurement team data created a strategic workforce plan that meets the desired long-term goals and maintains the City’s long-term success;
Addressing current workforce gaps - Analyzing the skills of the current employees provided insights into the skill or resource gaps that the City currently had within their organization. Through this evaluation, identifying the gaps between the City’s current workers’ competencies and what was needed in the future to reach their goals.
Project Manager – managed two projects (the City’s transit - occupational health, safety and environment (OHS&E), as well as, the City’s - first responders);
OHS&E included hazard assessment and evacuation plans for the City’s transit electric bus fleet;
First responders included City’s fire, police, EMS and 911, incident preparedness for the introduction of an electric bus fleet into the City;
Planned, directed, and coordinated activities of designated projects and project teams to ensure that goals or objectives of the project were accomplished within the prescribed time frame and financial parameters.
FLEET MANAGEMENT NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE – ENERGY
ALBERTA, CANADA
Primarily designed to provide outdoor wireless network connectivity for a mobile mining fleet conducting mining operations at a greenfield energy mine. While wireless is a major component of the overall solution, at the core of the network is a hierarchical campus network. This campus network is comprised of various switching platforms, which include the Cisco Catalyst 6880-X at the network core, Cisco Catalyst 4500-X at the aggregation/distribution layer connectivity and Cisco IE4000 switches making up the access layer. The network provides a platform to deliver reliable wireless services and support from end-to-end various critical applications, such as dispatch and vehicle health monitoring.
The network has been designed with high availability and resiliency as the primary consideration.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE – PETROCHEMICAL
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA
Large IT system for petrochemical plant expansion in Saudi Arabia. CourTechnology managed the following:
Laboratory information system
Electronic document management system
PCN network monitoring
Production tracking
Operator remote computing
General IT including PCs and all network equipment
Business network
Process control network
VOIP phone system
CCTV security system
Radio system
PI enterprise historian system
Warehouse management system
There was an estimated 80,000 man hours of combined efforts (including our employer and subcontract efforts). Responsible for $9 million in engineering services and $10 million in hardware and software.
SCADA SYSTEM – ENERGY
ALBERTA, CANADA
New Crusher 9 and conveyor at Mildred Lake.
Honeywell Experion SCADA system (7000 points). Scope of work included hardware, software, configuration, graphic development, FAT, SAT, commissioning, installation and demolition, network design and total integration with existing PLC networks, as well as custom cabinetry and staging. Provided Engineering and Project Management services.
GAS TERMINAL – PLC SYSTEM AND CUSTOM DYNAMIC ROUTING SOLUTION
NEW JERSEY, USA
Scope of work included a Rockwell Automation Plant PAx control system, hardware, software, FEED, control narratives, cause & effects, system design, configuration including batch, graphic development, staging, panel design & fabrication, FAT, SIFT, SAT, procurement, construction work packaging, commissioning, installation services and project management services.
Also, a large software customization (C++) for a Dynamic Routing solution. The solution could provide the capability to dynamically choose the path for material transfer. The path chosen was based on the availability of devices, process piping, and business rules. The system could also determine a configured number of alternative routes (6) and present them to the operator to select. Providing capability to handle in-process faults and reroute according to real-time events.
VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE MIGRATION – ENERGY
ALBERTA, CANADA
Directed Power Engineering Group on large variable frequency drive migration program, replacing 74 low voltage drives ranging from 7.5 HP-700 HP. Managed group of electrical engineers, technologist and journeymen electricians encompassing engineering, FEED, grounding studies, harmonic studies, construction work packages, drawings (manufacturing, electrical, demolition and as-builts), factory acceptance testing and commissioning. Lead the evaluation of third-party harmonic filters with end-user and procurement. Directed the testing and physical installation of the harmonic filters through third-party contractors.
Project duration 2.5 years, 27,000 man-hours of engineering and valued at $10.2 million.
SCADA Communications System Upgrade – Energy
Alberta, Canada
This project included the design, engineering, programming, procurement, construction, and testing of a new communication upgrade including UHF and Microwave technologies, to its pipeline SCADA communications. The deliverables for this project were a completed build of a secure, reliable, high capacity and high availability network for SCADA communications. This project was accepted once the new communications backbone had been successfully tested in each phase and area and has been shown to increase the capacity on the existing links, and newly developed fields or facilities to pipeline SCADA.
The implementation of this project required:
Construction of new towers
Construction of new communications buildings for housing radio and electrical equipment
Procurement of tower hardware, MW/UHF radios, antennas, networking equipment such as routers, firewalls etc.
Procurement of engineering services to design, implement and commission the new microwave and UHF radio networks
Internal ITM services to isolate the corporate and SCADA network segments, and also to configure network security.
The new SCADA communications network consisted of the following segments:
Microwave and UHF Radio segments
Fiber Optic links – between buildings in close proximity
Industrial Automation System– Municipality
Alberta, Canada
Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), the new plant is one of the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly facilities in Canada. The facility can treat up to 100 mega-litres of wastewater per day (ML/d) to serve a population of 250,000 for the next 10 years. The capacity is expandable to 700ML/d which will enable it to serve 1.75m people in future. The new facility occupies a portion of a 320-acre site and produces the highest quality of treated effluent in the region. Construction of the facility commenced in 2004 and completed in November 2009. Advanced measures have been taken to reduce the plant's environmental impact on the surroundings. The facility's Operations, Maintenance & Administration Building has achieved Gold certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Programme.
Scope of work included:
Yokogawa CS300 hardware
Yokogawa Software
Configuration and graphic development
System staging
Panel design & fabrication
Factory Acceptance Testing, System Integration Functional Testing and Site Acceptance Testing
Commissioning and installation services
Project management services
ISO 9001-2008 Implementation – Energy Consulting Services
Alberta, Canada and Houston, USA
Seven-month project to develop the firm’s processes around ISO 9001 framework, internal and external audits. Certification granted by QMI- SAI Global December 2010.
The process taken was as follows:
Step 1: Plan (2 – 4 weeks)
Learn ISO Basics
Purchase ISO 9001:2008 Standard
Conduct Gap Analysis
Develop Timeline and Action Plan
Train Management
Assign Project Responsibilities
Communicate to Employees
Select Registrar
Step 2: Implement (2 – 5 months)
Define Processes: 13 Processes identified, approx. 20 procedures to be documented
Develop Quality Policy
Determine Quality Objectives
Collect Quality Data
Develop Documentation and Records
Implement Document and Records Control
Train Employees
Step 3: Review (2 – 4 weeks)
Conduct Internal Audit
Complete Management Review
[At this point we were “ISO 9001:2008 compliant”]
Step 4: Certify (1 – 5 days)
Conducted by selected registrar
Audit is conducted in two stages:
Documentation Review
QMS Audit
Corrective actions to address discrepancies
Certification issued
Annual surveillance audit
Recertification audit (every 3 years)
Distillation Column Fieldbus Retrofit Project – Education
Alberta, Canada
This technical institute had four host systems tested and approved by the Fieldbus Foundation that had been donated by four separate industrial automation companies to the institution.
The purpose of this project was to integrate the four host systems and achieve the following:
Construction of a Lab Facility for Hand-on Training in FOUNDATION™ fieldbus Technology
Resulting in a practical means whereby the host PCs could be permanently connected to their respective hardware
Permitted the connection of any of the 32 field devices on the north wall of the lab to any of the host systems
Developing FOUNDATION™ fieldbus Curriculum
Provided host equipment as the physical framework to develop relevant curriculum for advance fieldbus courses
Maintaining a FOUNDATION™ fieldbus Demonstration Site
Demonstrated a proper field installation of four Foundation Fieldbus approved host systems
D105 Distillation Fieldbus Retrofit Project
One of the four host systems to be used to control the distillation column in the Mechanical Engineering lab of the institution.
