CASE STUDY
Future Biogas adopts Pisys PTW across 11 sites
Summary
Future Biogas, one of the UK’s leading developers and operators of anaerobic digestion plants, has implemented the Pisys Permit to Work system across its operating sites, replacing a paper-based process that left managers with limited visibility of contractor activity and inconsistent permit standards across a widely distributed estate.
Background
Future Biogas is a UK leader in the design, development, construction and operation of anaerobic digestion plants that produce clean, sustainable biomethane. By converting locally grown rotational energy crops into biogas, the company supports local farmers, a circular economy and the transition to a low-carbon future. Future Biogas currently operates 11 sites across the UK, with a further 7 in development, providing organisations with a viable route to decarbonise their operations without the need to change existing infrastructure.
Challenge
Head of Production, Phil Jennings described the issues:
“Managing permits to work across 11 geographically dispersed sites on a paper-based system created significant operational and compliance challenges. There was no central point of visibility – managers had no reliable way to see which permits were open across the estate at any given time, which contractors were on site or whether outstanding permits had been handed back. Accountability was difficult to maintain when records were held locally at each site rather than in a shared system.
The practical burden this placed on managers was considerable. Tracking permit status, chasing closures and maintaining compliance standards across multiple sites simultaneously was time consuming and prone to gaps. As the business continued to grow, with further sites in development, the limitations of the paper system were becoming increasingly difficult to manage”
Solution
After researching the market, seeing a demonstration of the system and undertaking a trial Future Biogas selected Pisys PTW to provide a consistent, structured framework for permit management across all operating sites. The system introduced a standardised approach to how work is planned, approved and closed out, giving managers across the estate a shared, real-time view of permit status and contractor activity.
Result
Phil summarised the impact of the Pisys system: “The transition from paper has delivered clear improvements in visibility, accountability and compliance. Managers can now monitor live activities across multiple sites from a single system, rather than relying on site-level paper records that offered no cross-site view. Permit standards are consistent regardless of location, and outstanding permits are immediately visible to anyone who needs to act on them.
User adoption was rapid. The intuitive interface required minimal training – site teams were able to get up to speed quickly without specialist instruction. Support from the Pisys team throughout implementation was consistently well regarded.
Since implementing Pisys across our sites, we have seen significant improvements in the way we manage permits to work. The system provides a consistent, structured approach that gives our teams confidence that work is being planned and carried out safely. The move from paper-based permits has improved visibility, accountability and compliance, while making it much easier for managers to monitor live activities across multiple sites. For a business operating complex process plants, Pisys has become an important part of our safety management system.”
IMPROVED
Compliance
MORE
Accountability
BETTER
Visibility
Testimonial
The Pisys Permit to Work system provides a consistent, structured approach that gives our teams confidence that work is being planned and carried out safely. The move from paper has improved visibility, accountability and compliance across multiple sites - and for a business operating complex process plants, Pisys has become an important part of our safety management system.