November 2013 Tube Products International
23
business & market news
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:
0.8A Europa Studios
Victoria Road
London
NW10 6ND
Supporting infrastructure overlooked
in asset management
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
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
to customers in the chemical,
petrochemical, oil and gas, power,
pharmaceutical, metals and consumer
industries worldwide.
ABB Consulting
– UK
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
grows, with the company’s strategy
being to appoint locally based engineers
in the key Indian markets.
Metalube Ltd
– UK
Metalube Pvt Ltd
– India
Amit Gupte,
general manager,
Metalube India
