How to Achieve Leak-Free Commissioning and Handover in STO Projects

Industrial brownfield shutdown, turnaround and outage (STO) projects typically receive attention during execution and, increasingly, during planning—but the final commissioning and handover phase is where projects win or lose. Without built-for-purpose digital integrity management in place, this quality-assured transition back over to operations too easily defaults to last-minute firefighting and manual processes. MODS Connect Integrity changes that, delivering a transformative solution for clarity and control during this vulnerable project phase.

Commissioning & Handover: The Final Mile

If a brownfield STO project is a marathon that requires endurance, flexibility and dogmatic focus on goal, then commissioning and handover are the final mile that demand a strong finish to make anything that came before worthwhile. This is why prioritizing integrity management is essential for a successful STO.

Turnarounds and shutdowns are precision missions. Thousands of bolted joints, valves and flanges must undergo integrity checks and tests— and fast! Any missing certificate or uncaptured torque value can delay start-up, causing lost production and escalating costs. The use of manual systems such as Excel spreadsheets or paper-based tracking are fraught with tripwires. Such methods reinforce data silos across departments, drag out Inspection Test Record (ITR) verification and fail to capture comprehensive information or digital audit trails.

Put plainly: continuing with this status-quo scenario for managing integrity processes poses an operational and commercial risk.

Digital Integrity: A Buttoned-Up Approach for STO Projects

MODS Connect Integrity delivers a focused, mobile-enabled resolution to challenges compromising the final project stages through:

1. Structured Data Capture: Employees are able to scan using a mobile device from anywhere on the asset, capturing joint identification, materials and torque specs with data automatically logged for easy reference.
2. Compliance at the Core: E-signatures capture technician and supervisor signoffs, ensuring certification meets technical requirements.
3. Real-Time Oversight: Project managers can track global progress, filtering by location, system or more discreet criteria, which is all visible in easy-to-understand dashboards.
4. Alerts and Escalation: Missed torque sequences or off-spec values trigger alerts, minimizing leak/no-start risk.
5. Certification Automation: Once checked, Inspection Test Records (ITRs) are automatically generated and made immediately available for handover bundles.

All of this functionality delivers impactful benefits to STO projects. How?

• Zero Data Silos: All stakeholders see the same verified data, removing communication barriers.
• Mobile Proficiency: Mobile data capture allows field teams to work offline, syncing data when connected.
• Compliance Confidence: Automated audit trails and document export options simplify quality assurance and signoff.
• Lean Staffing: With digitalized workflows that cut out the administrative fat, fewer staff hours are required.

The Integrity-Completions Interface

While MODS Connect Completions streamlines certification and handover workflows, pairing it with MODS Connect Integrity adds an essential dimension: bolted-joint control at scale. Together, these synergistic and mutually reinforcing MODS Connect modules enable automated handover completion packs with certified integrity data, confident handover efficiency backed by verified logs and certificates and, importantly, leak-free startup assurance.

The Digital Integrity Return on Investment

A single integrity breach can cost millions and erode client trust. Automating workflows for checks and certifications shortens handovers and, well, time won equals money saved. Further, establishing standardized, auditable workflows that capture real-time project progress improves workplace safety and minimizes deviations.

Industrial start-ups require more than checks—they also require clarity and quality-assured documentation. MODS Connect Integrity delivers precise, auditable, mobile-first management of bolted-flange integrity management, turning handover from a risk-laden sprint into a smooth transition over to operations. It's not just software—it's high-impact assurance and insurance. Digital integrity oversight should be essential for brownfield STOs.

Don’t let manual ITRs slow you down.

See how MODS Connect Integrity brings full visibility, control, and automation to STO commissioning and handover.