Innovation Is Key To Overcoming Difficulties

We are at the end of January, which is rarely an easy month to get through. The festivities have passed leaving funds and spirits low. This year has also started at a lower point than others with the oil and gas industry experiencing serious challenges as oil prices have continued to drop, causing anxiety for many people. As with any period of difficulty where an industry may find itself tested, a lot of advice opinions are available and it is hard to make sense of it all.

We’ve spoken before about the benefits of collaboration to be successful in this sector. The marrying of different thought processes to challenge conventions for a stronger outcome is our favourite way to work.

Working together doesn’t just mean bringing established ideas and technology into conversations though. History has shown us that innovation and invention are key to strengthening an industry and bettering its future.

We can look back three centuries at the life of the inventor and mechanical engineer James Watt, whose most famous work was born of a value we still work for today: energy efficiency. Whilst repairing a Newcomen steam engine, Watt noticed the machine was inefficient in how it used energy. The engine’s cylinder was repeatedly heated and cooled, wasting most of the thermal energy rather than converting it into mechanical energy. In 1769 Watt’s improvements were patented – more than 70 years after the Newcomen steam engine patent.

In the modern day oil and gas industry, we cannot afford to leave years between improvements to our technology and ways of working. Now more than ever we need to listen to those who are devising smarter ways for our industry to work and invest in the best methods to let us do it.

Collaborating and working together creates opportunities to devise new ways of doing things, which we not have previously realised. Over 70 years one man noticed the inefficiency of the steam engine and took action to fix it. We should not allow one moment to pass where we are not actively being innovative and progressive – especially in times of difficulty when we need winning solutions.