LONDON, March 27, 2017

Noble Corporation plc and GE today jointly announced a partnership to collaborate on an advanced data analytics system for offshore drilling rigs known as the Digital Rigsm solution. The Digital Rigsm solution aims to significantly improve the operational productivity of Noble’s drilling rigs. By utilizing data analytics to make asset management more efficient, the Digital Rigsm solution will allow Noble to better manage the asset lifecycle and provide a more productive drilling operation for customers.

The agreement calls for GE to initially deploy its latest digital asset performance management system on four Noble drilling rigs as part of a fleet pilot program. The expected efficiencies captured through the implementation of the Digital Rigsm solution target a 20 percent reduction in repair and maintenance expenditures across the pilot rigs. The ‘data-driven drilling’ model created by combining Noble’s operational knowledge with GE’s advanced data analytics system will have a transformative impact on the entire drilling ecosystem, including:

– Enhanced Drilling Process Efficiency – Foresight of asset anomalies and drilling process deviations to reduce operational disruptions and enhance performance consistency.
– Shift to Predictive Asset Management – Redefinition of maintenance strategies, with a focus on predictive asset management to achieve long-term, sustainable operational expenditure reductions across the fleet.
– Reduction of Third-party Service Costs – Anytime, anywhere rig visibility and insights that leverage the one-to-many impact of shore-based experts to reduce third-party service costs.

“It is time for the industry to rethink the drilling ecosystem. Offshore companies must adapt to industry disruptions by leveraging digital solutions to counteract the current downswing and for readiness to scale during a market upswing,” said Tim Schweikert, President and CEO, GE’s Marine Solutions. “Industry-wide collaboration underpins a solid digital future. Together, we are stronger and will get there faster. It is a privilege to partner with Noble, and we are looking forward to delivering the results enabled by the digital age.”

The Digital Rigsm solution processes operational data from critical assets utilizing GE‘s data models and advanced analytics to detect anomalies – often a sign of potential failure or performance degradation. These anomalies can potentially be detected weeks ahead and can provide an early warning to operators to prevent the problem before it occurs.