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In today's environment, when operational efficiency and safety are top priorities for the energy sector, real-time management of workers, equipment, and processes is more critical than ever. And RTLS for energy companies can help with this issue. This article examines how location-based platforms are changing the energy sector to achieve safer and more efficient operations.
What Is RTLS and How Does It Work?
Energy companies frequently operate in complex environments. Limited visibility into asset and vehicle locations can result in financial losses and pose significant safety risks to workers. A real-time location system (RTLS) helps improve operational efficiency by continuously tracking critical assets and the workforce.
RTLS technology is a modern system that tracks the real-time location of vehicles, equipment, and personnel. By installing system components across warehouses, pipelines, drilling platforms, and other facilities, energy enterprises can remotely monitor assets and maintain control over operations.
The system uses radio frequency signals transmitted by sensors or tags at set intervals. Receivers pick up these signals and send them to a server for processing. Then, the signals are displayed on digital maps via smartphones or computers as pinpoint locations.
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Challenges in the Energy Sector Solved by RTLS
Energy companies regularly face challenges that affect resilience, productivity, and safety. RTLS for energy helps address several common issues:
- Asset visibility problems: Large facilities often struggle with locating tools, vehicles, or other assets across vast areas. Indoor and outdoor tracking systems allow for real-time asset visualization.
- Poor asset management and theft: Unmonitored movement of tools and equipment can lead to excessive costs. Items often go missing or are removed from the premises, requiring replacement. RTLS helps locate items instantly and prevent unauthorized removal.
- Inefficient workflows and idle time: Equipment downtime due to poor workflow planning increases operational expenses. RTLS allows companies to monitor idle assets and streamline equipment usage.
- Emergency worker evacuation: Lack of a clear evacuation plan and awareness of where personnel are during an emergency can result in injuries and sometimes fatalities. With technology, you can affect personnel, provide employees with information on how to get out of the danger zone, and dispatch rescue teams to the scene.
- Lack of actionable data: Making informed decisions without in-depth operational analytics becomes difficult. RTLS provides the data needed for predictive maintenance and data-driven management strategies.
How RTLS Is Used in the Energy Sector and Its Business Impact
Let us examine a few common scenarios in which RTLS systems are used in the energy sector. They are commonly used to track assets, improve employee safety, and optimize workflows.
Asset Tracking and Utilization
With RTLS, tools, vehicles, and equipment can be effectively tracked, helping to reduce theft. This system allows you to locate lost items quickly and, if necessary, notifies management when assets cross company boundaries. Continuous monitoring of equipment enables you to track the frequency and downtime of machinery. These platform features improve productivity by reducing retrieval time and optimizing logistics.
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Employee Safety and Compliance
With this technology, workers' locations can be tracked in real time. This is especially important to ensure the safety of those working alone and exposed to higher risks in isolated areas. In addition, the system allows you to zone hazardous areas and define access rights for each employee to different areas. This significantly improves workplace safety and provides a faster response to emergencies.
Predictive Machine Maintenance
RTLS helps energy companies manage their fleets. The platform offers detailed analysis of routes and asset utilization, allowing for advanced vehicle maintenance planning. As a result, companies can optimize their workflows and better meet regulatory requirements.
Technologies Used in RTLS
A real-time location system uses various radio frequency technologies to deliver precise location data. The most commonly used include UWB, Bluetooth® LE, AoA, and Wi-Fi.
UWB (Ultra-Wideband)
A short-range, high-frequency signal technology operating at 3.1–10.6 GHz. It penetrates walls and does not require line-of-sight, offering unmatched accuracy (10–30+ cm), making it ideal for precise asset tracking.
Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE)
BLE offers a cost-effective setup for location tracking with 5–7 m accuracy. BLE-based RTLS projects typically use iBeacon or Eddystone technologies.
Angle of Arrival (AoA)
AoA uses antenna arrays to detect the direction a signal arrives from, enabling sub-meter accuracy (down to 10–50 cm with BLE). Common in Bluetooth® 5.1 systems, it supports real-time direction finding without requiring additional infrastructure, making it ideal for indoor navigation, smart buildings, and asset tracking.
Wi-Fi
Though less accurate (10–15 m), Wi-Fi-based tracking can leverage existing infrastructure, significantly reducing implementation costs.
RTLS and Sustainability in the Energy Sector
RTLS plays a key role in the sustainable development of companies in the energy sector.
By integrating these technologies into the company infrastructure, several significant outcomes can be achieved:
- Waste reduction. Continuous monitoring of equipment condition and maintenance helps prevent asset loss or unnecessary replacements.
- Lower harmful emissions. The platform supports more environmentally conscious operations. Optimizing fleet performance reduces fuel consumption, which in turn decreases the level of emissions released into the atmosphere.
- Reduced energy consumption. These systems help organizations optimize energy usage through resource monitoring and control. By minimizing equipment downtime and improving machinery movement, companies can significantly lower their overall energy use.
Navigine helps energy companies harness the power of RTLS to boost operational efficiency, enhance safety, and gain complete control over asset movement. Our advanced platform provides the tools needed to streamline workflows and support digital transformation.
To learn more about our system capabilities, contact a manager via the contact form or book an online consultation.
