Sword CTSpace, a global leader in providing document management and collaboration workflow applications for the construction and engineering industries, signed an official agreement on 1 December 2010 with the GUBKIN Russian State University of Oil and Gas to install the engineering content management solution FusionEnterprise on the university’s systems.

FusionEnterprise has been adapted to Russian standards by specialists of the Gubkin Russian State University. Students at the prestigious engineering university, many of them future oil and gas executives and project leaders in Russia’s booming energy sector, will use FusionEnterprise in learning about effective engineering content and construction project management.

Top Sword CTSpace representatives, including vice president of product management, Tim Fleet, and UK business director, Tim Reynolds, as well as key IBM figures like IBM VP ECM Tony Rummans or director of IBM software solutions in Russia and CIS, Leonid Altukhov, attended the signing ceremony and product presentation at the university in Moscow.

“We at Sword CTSpace found the university’s deep knowledge of Russian oil and gas business processes invaluable when creating this specific solution for Russia,” Mr Fleet said. “We look forward to this
collaboration with the university and hope to play an active role in the oil and gas industry in Russia in the future.”

About 40 high-ranking executives from Russia’s top oil and gas companies were on hand to hear the terms of the agreement and to acquaint themselves with FusionEnterprise, a product that extends IBM FileNet P8 content management systems with engineering-centric features and improves the efficiency and compliance of construction projects in a whole range of industries.

IBM, a major Sword CTSpace business and technology partner, together with a Russian IBM business partner called IT Corp, organised and sponsored the Moscow event.

“Sword CTSpace has a longstanding partnership with IBM,” explains Leonid Altukhov, director of IBM software solutions in Russia and CIS. “FusionEnterprise leverages the power of IBM FileNet P8, and extends these capabilities to deliver a vertical application specifically built for the energy and engineering sectors. Working in partnership with Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas, Sword CTSpace has produced a localised version of the product based on Russian oil and gas standards. Both IBM and Sword CTSpace believe the solution will efficiently support Russian companies building and operating some of the largest and most complex oil and gas assets in the world.”

Sword CTSpace’s FusionEnterprise solution has been used by such global oil and gas-related companies as AMEC, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), Powell, PHI Pepco, Duke Energy, SAMIR and Universal Pegasus.

Sword CTSpace has a global footprint with operations in 37 countries, and offers extensive multi-language support. Unlike its competitors in the engineering content management and construction collaboration space, Sword CTSpace already has robust customer bases in the US, the UK and continental Europe, and hopes to extend its range of influence eastward into Russia with this monumental deal.