Technology News
98
M
arch
2014
Advancing the OCTG inspection
industry
AS professionals in the oil country
tubular goods (OCTG) industry, the
founders of Scan Systems pride
themselves on a heritage of identifying
real business needs. Back in the 1980s,
companies were trying to keep track of
their pipe tallies in generic computer
spreadsheets like Excel, or worse,
paper cards in three-ring binders.
Joints of pipe were going missing,
time was being wasted, and as a result,
money was being lost. Without reliable
technology and process systems to
track complex inventory, businesses
were fighting an uphill battle to achieve
accurate inventories in a timely manner.
Bad tallies and inaccurate inventories
were costing companies exorbitant
expenses and hundreds of hours of
work.
Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) pipe
inspection equipment was also far from
adequate, making it nearly impossible
to inspect thicker wall pipe for both ID
and OD imperfections, often resulting
in steel mills investing large sums into
other, often slower, inspection methods,
which in turn led to lower production
in some of their highest demand pipe
sizes.
When Scan Systems engineers
recognised these unmet needs back
in 1988, they set about inventing new
and innovative means to optimise their
industry.
One example of this ingenuity is when
they identified the need for a better way
to introduce artificial flaws in order to
calibrate MFL or ultrasonic inspection
equipment for heightened sensitivity and
accuracy. To increase quality assurance,
the Scan Systems team designed and
manufactured the world’s first portable
EDM unit (electric discharge machine),
specifically adapted to introduce
artificial flaws in pipe. Since then, Scan
Systems’ NotchMaster product line
has become the recognised standard
in portable EDM equipment used for
creating precision flaws for calibrating
inspection equipment on both the inside
and outside diameters of pipe, as well
as other metal products.
Around the same time, another Scan
Systems division was working on two
products for OCTG service operations.
The first was Tally-Rite, designed
specifically for companies involved in
the storage, handling, inspection and
reporting of OCTG materials.
Conventional pipe tallies require at
least three direct labourers and usually
a collection of office personnel recruited
for the addition of the paperwork.
However, by patiently programming
and developing ideas, Scan Systems’
team came up with an automated pipe
tally tool. Tally-Rite significantly reduces
direct labour and human errors. In fact,
Tally-Rite 2000 can add 120 tallies in 55
seconds, or tally a truck-load of tubing
in less than ten minutes with only two
people.
“It really says something when the
brand of equipment your company
invented in the 80s is still in use nearly
30 years later,” said Matt Rutledge, VP of
sales and marketing for Scan Systems.
“We’re extremely proud of our heritage.
We love to tinker with new ideas and
ways to improve our products. As a
result, you’ll find that all our products
have evolved over the decades.
We’ve added new features, sped up
processing, expanded functionality,
you name it. The world of technology is
advancing at a rapid rate, and at Scan
Systems, we like to keep the OCTG
industry on the cutting edge.”
The second innovation was TDS
(now TDSW), which is Tubular Data
Systems for Windows. A computer
software system for OCTG inventory
management, TDSW is an inventory
solution that streamlines a company’s
daily operations to totally integrate
the overall operations of an OCTG
inspection, service or storage facility.
The software puts control in the hands of
the inventory manager, and allows users
to access up-to-the-minute changes in
the OCTG material within their facility.
These two inventions – both inspired
out of necessity and a desire to advance
the OCTG industry – set a high standard
that Scan Systems continues to live up
to, and build upon, today.
“Keeping an accurate inventory
isn’t just a matter of counting pipes,”
explained Mr Rutledge. “Unlike other
industries’ inventories, OCTG changes
description as it goes through the
process. The same piece of pipe could
go through the heat treatment process
to become a stronger, different grade
or go from plain end to threaded and
coupled so the inventory you received
will be different from what is shipped
out and you have to keep track of
every detail.”
Scan Systems
– USA
Website:
OCTG can be difficult to keep track of
