Podcasts

2025 Process Automation Hall of Fame: How Sandy Vasser helped usher automation into oil and gas production

May 7, 2025

In this exclusive interview with Control magazine, Sandy Vasser talks about simplifying engineering projects, finding his perfect career match, and the inspiration behind his success

Control Amplified

During his 39-year career at ExxonMobil, Sandy Vasser worked on projects that helped bring universal I/O, virtual FATs, automatic SIS programming and automatic commissioning to the oil and gas industry. He oversaw commissioning of the process modules and power plant electrical and control systems on what became the first floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. Now, his efforts have landed him in the Process Automation Hall of Fame.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

How Sandy Vasser chose ExxonMobil over other engineering paths using a spreadsheet-driven decision process.
What early automation looked like in the 1970s, including work with PDP-8 microcomputers.
The development of the first FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) vessel in U.S. waters and Vasser’s role in commissioning it.
How large-scale upstream projects were managed with a global portfolio and limited resources.
The creation and impact of the “It Just Happens” initiative, which simplified project execution across electrical and automation disciplines.
Technological innovations that transformed project delivery, such as universal I/O, virtual FATs, and automatic SIS programming.
Massive efficiency gains achieved, including up to 40% cost reduction and 70% fewer terminations in automation systems.