Middle Eastern Gulf energy producers have made real progress connecting operational data, but the value has been slower to follow. In a recent Energy Connects article, Emerson’s Liam Hurley, President of the Middle East and Africa region, explains how plants that prepare in advance with good instrumentation, connected systems, and nearby people and equipment are better placed to close that gap.
Why It Matters
Industry research cited in the article shows energy firms plan to keep spending on artificial intelligence (AI) despite uneven returns, with poor data access a common reason projects fall short. Most energy and industrial companies still use AI without changing how they work. For leaders in the region, breaking down the remaining data silos is the next step. Liam sees this thinking shaping three customer priorities: operational excellence, autonomous operations, and project execution.
Key Takeaways
- Intelligent field devices, edge and cloud computing, and connected control systems give operators a continuous view of asset health, so maintenance follows equipment condition instead of fixed schedules.
- The DeltaV™ Automation Platform and AspenTech software bring plant information together so reliability, safety, and energy efficiency gains can be tracked across a facility.
- Autonomy comes from integration: measurement, final control, process control, software, and AI working as one system while operators keep responsibility for critical decisions.
- Emerson manufactures and services automation technologies across the Middle East region, supporting national localization programs and faster response for customers.
- Simulation, process digital twins, and virtual testing help protect schedules on new gas processing, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and downstream projects.
Built in the Region, Close to Customers
Emerson’s Jebel Ali hub in the UAE has produced control valves and measurement instrumentation since 2008, and nearly 80% of its output is exported within the region. In Saudi Arabia, a manufacturing, engineering, and innovation hub at King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) complements facilities in Jubail and a partner facility in Yanbu. Emerson has also announced plans for a certified flow calibration facility in Doha.
Each site supports its host country’s localization goals, including Make it in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s IKTVA and Nusaned programs, and Qatar’s Tawteen. The result is faster response for equipment, engineering, or service at short notice, dependable supply, and less exposure to swings in freight and energy costs.
From Automation to Autonomy
Industrial AI has moved from pilots to deployment plans. Regional autonomous operations initiatives now cover well automation, production optimization, equipment health, and operator decision support. AspenTech Virtual Advisor (AVA), an AI-driven advisor embedded in Emerson technologies, brings domain-aware recommendations into existing workflows. As routine work is automated, people spend more time on analysis and judgment, and fewer need to work in hazardous areas.
Talent completes the picture. University partnerships and graduate programs across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are developing local engineers with both process and digital expertise. Competency programs created with customers offer 18 weeks of hands-on automation and safety modules, and Emerson has helped customers establish their own technical academies.
Protecting Project Schedules
Bringing automation and digital tools in at the start of a project helps protect the schedule. Teams can test design decisions before equipment reaches site, while local engineering and manufacturing shorten the path from design to delivery. The same connected approach carries into operations, so a new facility starts up with the data foundation it needs for optimization and, over time, autonomy.
Read the Full Article
Read Liam’s Energy Connects article, Operational readiness the Gulf can rely on through intelligent automation, for his full perspective on readiness in the Gulf.
