BP Digital Twin

Reducing Lorry Movements case study

about this project

BP, in partnership with Wood, identified that engineering trips offshore for pipe measurement and adjustment were costing over £2 million annually. Engineers were frequently flown out to BP assets to complete tasks that could potentially be avoided if better use was made of existing digital technology and onsite expertise.



BP already had a powerful digital twin technology in place - a highly accurate 3D representation of its offshore assets - but it was not being fully leveraged by teams for day-to-day engineering work. PBI’s role was to help increase awareness, adoption, and practical use of this technology, while making better use of on-site technicians to reduce unnecessary travel.

Key Project Summary "At a glance"

Project Scope


  • Reduce unnecessary offshore engineering trips by Wood engineers

  • Leverage BP’s Digital Twin technology to provide accurate 3D pipework models

  • Enhance the role of onsite technicians to handle adjustments without additional travel

  • Target annual savings of £1M in reduced travel and associated costs


Improvement Strategy


  • Increase awareness and adoption of BP’s Digital Twin across engineering teams


  • Use onsite technicians’ capability instead of deploying external engineers for routine adjustments through confidence building



  • Review both recent and planned offshore trips to quantify opportunities for elimination



Benefits Delivered


  • Immediate cancellation of £500,000 worth of planned engineering trips following adoption of the Digital Twin.


  • Targeted savings of £1M within 12 months through greater reliance on digital tools and onsite staff.


  • Reduced travel requirements by 50% improved efficiency, reduced downtime, and strengthened sustainability efforts.


  • Enhanced integration of digital technologies into daily engineering practice.


  • Shift in working practice from defaulting to site visits to using accurate 3D asset models


  • Improved efficiency in engineering planning and reduced disruption offshore

People Involved

  • BP Digital Twin Engineers – owners and developers of the platform
  • Wood Pipe Engineering Team – primary users and beneficiaries of the improved process
  • Asset Management – ensuring alignment with operational requirements
  • Wood Engineering Management – governance and oversight



Focus Area

  • Primary issue: Excessive engineering trips offshore for pipe measurement and adjustment
  • Impact: £2M+ annual spend on travel, increased downtime, and inefficiencies
  • KPIs targeted:
  • Reduction in offshore engineering trips
  • Cost savings (£500K immediate, £1M annual)
  • Increased utilisation of Digital Twin technology


Process Taken

  1. Review: Analysed the last five offshore engineering trips to understand scope, purpose, and cost.
  2. Forward Planning: Assessed the next five planned trips to identify overlap with tasks achievable using Digital Twin models and onsite technicians.
  3. Adoption: Cancelled trips worth £500K immediately, validating that digital models could fully replace the need for physical visits.
  4. Implementation: Rolled out new protocols mandating Digital Twin and onsite capability as the first option before scheduling travel.
  5. Sustainability: Embedded the practice into engineering planning, with a year-one target of reducing trips by £1M in total.