Turning Critical Infrastructure Data into Long-Term Intelligence
In the global energy and infrastructure sectors, projects generate vast amounts of data every day. This includes welding records, coating inspections, material certificates, non-destructive testing (NDT) reports and operational documentation, all of which are captured throughout the construction process. However, for decades, much of this information has remained fragmented across spreadsheets, PDFs and disconnected systems, making it difficult to access, analyze or use once a project is complete.
CRC Evans is working to change that.
As the industry demands greater traceability and compliance, the company is investing in digital transformation to improve infrastructure delivery. Central to that effort is DATA 360, CRC Evans' modular platform that captures and connects critical project data from construction through long-term asset operation.
Speaking during a recent podcast interview recorded at OTC 2026, Vinay Baburao, Director of Digital Transformation at CRC Evans, described the platform as a fundamental shift in how infrastructure information is managed and used.
"DATA 360 is not a feature on the rental business," said Baburao. "It is the foundation of the next business."
Solving an Industry-Wide Data Challenge
Despite decades of technological progress, critical infrastructure construction remains heavily reliant on disconnected data sources, manual reporting and paper-based processes.
"Energy and critical infrastructure projects have historically been data-rich but insight-poor," Baburao explained.
Project information often exists across spreadsheets, PDFs, supplier systems and contractor databases that do not communicate with one another. The result is inefficiencies during both project execution and long-term asset management.
Closeout documentation can take months to complete. Engineers spend valuable time transcribing rather than engineering, while owner-operators frequently inherit assets with limited ability to interrogate critical data decades later.
CRC Evans developed DATA 360 to address those challenges.
Designed as a modular digital platform, DATA 360 captures and connects welding, coating, NDT and material traceability data within a single, live environment. Rather than treating project data as static documentation, the platform creates a continuously updated digital record of the asset throughout construction.
"Built once. Used for the life of the asset," said Baburao.
Creating a Digital Passport for Every Weld
At the heart of DATA 360 is a simple but powerful concept: every weld, joint and pipe should carry its own complete digital history.
"What if every weld could remember itself? Think of it as a passport for every weld," Baburao said during the podcast.
The process begins long before welding starts. Material information, mill certificates and dimensional data are stored within the platform as pipes leave the mill. As those pipes move through fit-up, welding, inspection and coating, all associated information is linked to a single joint identifier.
When a welder strikes an arc, DATA 360 captures parameters such as current, voltage, travel speed and heat input in real time. Those parameters are automatically linked to the correct joint, machine and operator, eliminating the need for manual data entry at the end of a shift.
NDT results, coating information, consumables, gas batches and environmental conditions are then added to the same record, creating a fully traceable and auditable digital history.
"One identifier. One record. The full life of the joint," Baburao explained.
From Retrospective Reporting to Real-Time Visibility
Traditional project reporting often relies on end-of-shift quality records and retrospective analysis, meaning problems may only become visible after significant delays.
DATA 360 changes that dynamic by enabling real-time visibility throughout project execution.
"Compliance is continuous, not retrospective," said Baburao.
As welding takes place, the platform validates the process in real time against approved procedures, flagging any parameter drift while the joint remains recoverable. Importantly, the platform validates the welding process itself, while final weld acceptance remains the responsibility of NDT inspection.
This operational visibility allows project teams to identify trends, reduce rework and make faster decisions.
For example, DATA 360 can identify recurring patterns associated with specific welders, shifts or material batches—insights that would be difficult to detect when information is isolated across multiple systems and paper records.
The platform also accelerates documentation and handover.
On one recent offshore project, a customer requirement to validate heat input during welding traditionally required 10 to 15 minutes of manual checking per joint. Using DATA 360, that validation was reduced to seconds.
At another fabrication project at CRC Evans' Katy, Texas, facility, digital workflows enabled the production of weld books that would typically take six to eight months to compile manually almost immediately after project completion.
Building the Foundation for AI-Driven Infrastructure
Beyond operational efficiency, CRC Evans sees connected data as the foundation for the next generation of AI-enabled infrastructure delivery.
By combining welding and inspection data, the company is already developing machine learning models that can identify patterns and predict potential defects before inspection.
"Software is not the moat. The dataset is the moat," Baburao noted.
The long-term vision extends beyond construction. With infrastructure assets expected to operate for 30 to 50 years or more, connected digital records will play an increasingly important role in supporting life extension, integrity management and future energy transition projects such as hydrogen and carbon capture infrastructure.
For CRC Evans, DATA 360 represents more than a digital tool. It is part of a broader transformation that combines decades of field-proven expertise with advanced technology to improve certainty, traceability and performance across critical infrastructure delivery.