Yokogawa Electric Corporation announced that it has been selected by Shell as a main automation contractor (MAC) for integrated production control and safety instrumented systems.

The two companies have signed a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) to this effect.

Since last year, Shell has worked to reduce the number of equipment and systems suppliers for its plants, and has assessed and narrowed down the list of contractors that it works with in the control systems field.

The contract includes ongoing maintenance of systems and the supply of new systems for both brownfield and greenfield projects.

The agreement brings advantages to both companies by improving the efficiency of the activities undertaken by buyer and supplier. The move is part of Shell’s initiative to achieve top quartile performance across categories in support of its 'More Upstream, Profitable Downstream' strategy.

“This GFA marks a completely new approach within Shell: this is a long term, competitive, collaborative, and performance based relationship that will facilitate the delivery of value to both parties,” said Nick Curley, Shell’s Upstream Automation portfolio manager.-TradeArabia News Service