TPi November 2013

business & market news

Metalube India grows Metalube has reported that its Indian operation has progressed well since its inception in September 2011, both winning new business and retaining existing customers. Due to this success, two new application engineers have been added to the Metalube India team: Prashant Sharma, responsible for Northern India, and Chirag Mhatre for Western India. The process of building ‘team India’ will continue as Metalube Metalube Ltd – UK post@metalube.co.uk www.metalube.co.uk Metalube Pvt Ltd – India sales@metalube.in www.metalube.in

Amit Gupte, general manager, Metalube India

grows, with the company’s strategy being to appoint locally based engineers in the key Indian markets.

Supporting infrastructure overlooked in asset management

to customers in the chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas, power, pharmaceutical, metals and consumer industries worldwide.

assets present. All too often they get caught up with the major equipment and the smaller day-to-day essentials aren’t a major focus. Aging is not just how old equipment is either; there are other factors to take into consideration: frequency of use, its condition and how the asset’s use changes over time. It’s simple: everything needs testing, and supporting infrastructure must not be overlooked.” It has been announced that an expert commission will be set up to examine how an independent Scotland could maximise the returns from North Sea oil and gas. Supporting aging assets will be one of the areas they should consider. Mr Hudson commented, “It’s great that industry issues like this are being pushed to the forefront of the political agenda – well thought out, safe and efficient use of our aging assets, allied to long-term planning, is crucial to extract maximum long-term returns from our resources.” ABB Consulting runs an asset management programme called pRIME (process Reliability and Integrity Management Excellence), which combines leading methodologies and tools with expert technical judgement to initially identify and then deliver integrity improvements. ABB Consulting provides technical consulting and engineering services to improve performance in the areas of compliance, operations and engineering

Organisations that neglect ‘supporting infrastructure’ when implementing asset life strategies have been warned that they run the risk of being hit with unexpected costs years down the line. International technical consultancy ABB Consulting says the maintenance focus for many operators tends to be on major pieces of equipment and machinery rather than the pipework, drains and underground services that are equally vulnerable to the aging process. Companies are also risking costs associated with operational downtime, as well as increasing health and safety concerns, if they ignore the basic infrastructure, according to ABB Consulting’s senior consultant, Brian Hudson: “The problem is apparent across a range of industries including chemical, petrochemical, oil and pharmaceutical. The average age of drilling rigs across the world is 25 years old and there are some very old pipes being used that companies are blind to when carrying out maintenance. “It sounds obvious but you’d be surprised by the things which get overlooked. These companies face large costs in a few years’ time if they avoid maintenance of the supporting infrastructure. Tackling corroding pipework early on in a project should be routine – it will help maximise returns. “This isn’t just the small companies but some of the big operators too, who are aware of the challenges aging

ABB Consulting – UK www.abb.co.uk

Dedicated supplier of seamless steel tube and pipe!

• EN 10294 • EN 10305 • EN 10216 • EN 10297 • EN 10210 • API 5L • ASTM A106 • ASTM A179

Member of the ITA Contact: Tel: +44 (0) 2084 530046 Emails: info@qualitube.co.uk 0.8A Europa Studios Victoria Road London NW10 6ND

www.qualitube.co.uk

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November 2013 Tube Products International