Technology gives project team control over first refining project to meet Low Carbon Fuel Standard

MENLO PARK, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 17, 2011 — Skire, Inc. ( www.skire.com), the leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for managing capital projects, facilities, and real estate, today announced that North West Upgrading (NWU) ( www.northwestupgrading.com) has selected its Unifier technology as the capital project management solution for managing the engineering, procurement and construction of a new bitumen refinery in Alberta, Canada. Unifier is among the first major software systems selected to support this project and, in combination with other purpose-built software packages, will create a collaborative and controlled IT ecosystem.

North West Upgrading will be one of the first to produce fuels from bitumen that will meet the Low Carbon Fuel Standard under proposed legislation in the United States. With $5 billion in financing to begin phase one of the project, the project team recognized the importance of establishing formal processes and workflows across the project. After taking a critical look at their business needs and analyzing other recent megaprojects, NWU selected Skire Unifier because it provides the best combination of expertise, configurability and framework to put controls and structure in place quickly, with the flexibility to grow as the project moves forward.

“Historically, projects of this size and type run late and over budget, so, from the beginning, we wanted a team with a proven track record of delivering projects of this magnitude successfully,” said Jerry Crail, senior vice president of engineering and construction, North West Upgrading. “We looked at successful megaprojects in our industry and others, and one common thread was fast implementation of detailed work processes, which the Unifier program possesses. Skire has invaluable experience partnering with companies to deliver megaprojects, and we are confident we will deliver on this project leveraging Unifier as our capital project management solution.”

Skire Unifier is the ideal solution to help NWU manage project information from the planning phase, through project execution and into maintenance and operations. Unifier gives NWU:

• The ability to set standards, workflows and automate processes and reports to save time and increase efficiency,
• A configurable solution that NWU can easily build to meet its unique needs and also continue to build and adapt as the project grows,
• Integration with existing and future software purchases, including Oracle’s JD Edwards Enterprise One,
• A comprehensive capital planning solution that will give NWU tools for cost, document, contract and resource management; and cost and schedule control.

These tools will be instrumental in the project’s success, giving NWU visibility into all aspects of the project in real-time. With such intensive oversight, the team will have complete control over the project, allowing them to better manage costs, avoid cost overages and keep the project within defined budgets.

“We are thrilled to be selected as the capital project management system partner for North West Upgrading, continuing our expansion in Canada,” said Massy Mehdipour, chief executive officer of Skire. “Having, myself, worked as an electrical engineer and construction superintendent on major oil and gas and mining projects in Edmonton and Fort McMurray in years past, it is especially rewarding to be back in the region to help provide a system to more efficiently and effectively manage the next wave of projects in one of the worldwide epicenters of energy production. Through our global experience on numerous other megaprojects, including Yanbu Export Refinery Project, Surmont Phase 2, and Ras Tanura Integrated Project, we have proven that Unifier can effectively help teams manage projects of this magnitude and complexity.”

About Skire

Skire is the leading global provider of cloud-based solutions for managing capital projects, facilities and real estate. Skire’s Unifier system has helped manage over $300 billion in capital projects and over three billion square feet of facilities and real estate. From Global Fortune 1000 companies, including five of the Fortune 10, to universities, local municipalities and small businesses, organizations of all sizes utilize our best-in-class system to improve operations, reduce costs and enhance service delivery. Skire’s solutions are purpose-built, flexible, and simple to deploy and use, and range from a full lifecycle IWMS approach to targeted solutions such as Project Controls, Document Management, Bid Management, Cash Flow Forecasting, Work Order Management, Lease Management, Space Management and more. Skire was recognized by Inc. Magazine in 2010 as one of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies and is headquartered in the Silicon Valley. For more information, visit http://www.skire.com.

Unifier is a trademark of Skire, Inc. All other products and services mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies.

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Skire, Inc.
John Leet, 360-993-0920
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