INFORMATION technology giant IBM is the latest multinational corporation to make Perth a global business hub in a bid to cash in on Australia’s booming resources sector.
INFORMATION technology giant IBM is the latest multinational corporation to make Perth a global business hub in a bid to cash in on Australia’s booming resources sector.
IBM last week formally launched its Hay Street-based Natural Resources Solution Centre to help clients reduce exploration and operational costs, optimise the links between operations and head office, and improve safety through integrated asset management.
The centre will be IBM’s sixth global ‘centre of excellence’ focused on the oil and gas sector, but the first such centre set up to also service the mining industry.
IBM Australia managing director Glen Boreham said the move was a logical step.
“This has been our fastest growing territory since 2008, and we only expect it to get bigger from here,” Mr Boreham told WA Business News.
“We decided to put this in Perth for obvious reasons, like the $170 billion in projects announced. But probably more than that it reflects our view of the need for more physical resources in this space – a bricks and mortar capability that supports our global research and development network.”
Mr Boreham said the centre reflected IBM’s ‘smarter planet’ initiative aimed at integrating and optimising data already being captured, or able to be captured, across the entire spectrum of a business’s activities.
“We came to the conclusion a couple of years ago that the world had reached a bit of a tipping point in the deployment of IT,” he said.
“During the course of this year, the world will go past one billion transistors per person on the planet. They are in everything, from our phones, laptops, cars, our mines and so on.
“All of this can now be connected.”
Mr Boreham said the key was working out how to best utilise these interconnected data streams in a way that was intelligent.
IBM’s NRSC head David Haake said a key thrust of the initiative was to better connect operational IT systems at the mine site with headquarters.
“It is remote operation of highly technical facilities that … we have waded into here,” he said.
A key benefit was the development of predictive analytics, which enabled more efficient management of operating assets, in turn reducing the cost and safety risks associated with operating and maintaining assets in often remote and difficult environments.
The centre will also work with the WA Energy Research Alliance based at Curtin University on developing specific product optimisation, carbon management and containment solutions for industry.
Mr Boreham said IBM expected to hire at least 30 new employees each quarter, and required around new 300 people to work on individual projects already planned.
