Case Study: Syncrude achieves increased fleet uptime and $20M annual operating cost avoidance with OSIsoft PI System

Syncrude's Mobile Equipment Events Synthesis Solution increases equipment uptime

Syncrude, one of Canada’s largest oil-sands operators, runs a 136-unit heavy-hauler fleet in extreme northern conditions that cause heavy wear and complex failure modes. With decades of truck data but slow, spreadsheet-based analysis and difficulty transferring reliability knowledge, Syncrude needed an automated, trustworthy way to generate near‑real‑time event information to improve uptime, safety and maintenance decisions.

Working with Dexcent and OSIsoft, Syncrude deployed a Mobile Equipment Events Synthesis (MEES) solution built on the PI System to process high-volume data, generate event frames and notifications, and integrate with workflows. The pilot proved scalability and integrity; in production MEES delivered automated alerts, condition monitoring and BI that yielded $16.75/hour per unit in operating‑cost savings (about $20M annually) and an 85% drop in non‑procedural dumping incidents, while improving preventative maintenance and knowledge transfer.

Syncrude

Peter Wright

Manager of Industrial Information