OREANDA-NEWS. January 16, 2014. Let’s Build an Innovative Culture” was the theme of the Third Innovation and Technology Exhibition and Workshop held recently by Northern Area Oil Operations (NAOO) in Tanajib.

More than 500 guests from various Saudi Aramco organizations and companies attended, offering a diverse range of innovative ideas, best practices, technology items and technical presentations related to operations optimization, corrosion and inspection, online analyzers, process control, and water and energy conservation.

Before the opening ceremony, event activities were started by Alexander Blass, president of the Innovation Institute of America, and Christian Majgaard, the top executive at LEGO, who conducted two innovation workshops that provided training to more than 100 employees on overcoming barriers to change toward an “innovation explosion.”

Khalid Al-Khalb, manager of the Northern Area Technical Support Department, opened the event by welcoming NAOO management and guests to the innovation and technology roadshow. Nasir K. Al-Naimi, vice president of Northern Area Oil Operations (NAOO), emphasized the major role NAOO plays to promote innovative culture and knowledge sharing among all Saudi Aramco organizations and employees, and he encouraged employees to actively participate in such events.

During the opening ceremony, 30 talented employees from NAOO where rewarded by Al-Naimi and other members of management for their innovative ideas. Each innovator was given a chance to present his idea in front of management and the audience in an effort to motivate employees to participate in building an innovative culture.

The exhibition offered a variety of technologies that can benefit NAOO facilities in issues related to operations optimization, corrosion and inspection, online analyzers, process control, and water and energy conservation. More than 45 local and international companies, Saudi Aramco organizations and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals participated in the event. As a result, more than 500 employees and guests visited the exhibition, marking a record number of visitors to the NAOO innovation and technology exhibitions since 2010.

The exhibition was also toured by Amin H. Nasser, senior vice president of Upstream, along with vice presidents, executive directors and general managers.

The event provided a chance for Saudi Aramco employees and company representatives to express their technical knowledge and thoughts through technical presentations. With more than 20 presentations, more than 200 participants exchanged knowledge with colleagues in an effective, innovative environment and professional network.