The process of using steam turbines to generate electrical energy is complex and has many parameters. Maintaining these systems requires (extensive) knowledge and experience; not only to identify and solve failures, but also to recognize distinct details that relate to the way machines interact and influence each other. The diversity of this matter is described by Subject Matter Expert Jan Jouke Melchers who makes its knowledge available on seven aspects of maintenance. On tightening of bolts, handling of tools, the influence of renewable energy on performance and more. Head over to this blog now.
An essential step in welding and manufacturing metal constructions and equipment is the heat treatment process. During heat treatment, the material is heated up and cooled down, using predefined methods to achieve the desired mechanical properties like metallurgical structure, hardness, toughness, strength, etc. This is necessary to reduce residual stresses that occur during welding, while improving corrosion resistance and machinability. In this blog, we explain an array of heat treatment processes that can be used to carry out heat treatment before and after welding.
The first step in decarbonization is curbing the demand and improving the efficiency of existing assets. Next comes the electrification of existing assets, building hybrid systems, and generating carbon-neutral power with renewables. After 2030, there's also a need for green hydrogen and biomass and Carbon Capture Storage and Usage. It's not something done just by clicking your fingers. Investments are necessary right now to achieve zero emissions by 2050, but where to start? Will rising carbon prices help build the business case?
851 days of joint efforts ended to the date of signing off the project completion. On September 28, 2021 Mr. Özgür Can AKYÜZ, SOCAR_Turkey Integrity and Reliability Director and Mr. Roland DOLS, the Stork Project Manager, signed off the APM project completion and celebrated several mutual successes. We look forward to continue collaborating with SOCAR Turkey towards the company objectives.
Stork’s new partnership with Greentown Labs! For decades, Stork has provided asset lifecycle solutions for different industries and has been the driving force of many technological revolutions and supported the energy transitions of the last century.
The Krimpenerwaard pumping station, on the Lekdijk between Bergambacht and Lekkerkerk in the Netherlands, received a major upgrade in 2020. Stork converted the pumping station and installed a BVOP VVT pump turbine developed in-house. The unique feature of this pump turbine is not only that fish can swim through it safely, but also that it generates energy.
In theory, the combustion of hydrogen only releases heat and water, and not CO2 as is the case with the combustion of fossil fuels. This is the main reason why more and more companies are showing increased interest in switching to this “clean” fuel.
Good preparation of a turnaround is at least half the work when it comes to efficiency. But it seems that in practice, many hours are still lost to waiting, consultations, awkwardly arranged logistical processes or even missing or incorrect tools. With a HoTT analysis – Hands on Tool Time – these shortcomings can be detected and remedied, and you can kick-start your turnaround.
A radical transformation is needed in the way energy is produced and used to fulfil societal needs. Clean renewables will gradually replace fossil fuels. Continuing to work on gradual, incremental changes will not be enough to tackle climate change.
In part one of his two-part blog, Steve Hillock busts some commonly-believed myths about APM, AI and other topics. We hope you enjoy part two, as Steve delves into the successful partnership between the two companies.
In this blog, the first in a two-part series, Steve discusses the important role of APM technologies and debunks three myths about digital transformation and AI. In part two, to be published in the next few weeks, Steve will discuss how the Stork AspenTech partnership benefits customers. Thanks to Steve for participating in the AspenTech partner guest blog series.
Managing physical assets is about dealing with risks over the lifecycle of assets. However Asset Management is often misunderstood: not realizing that it is also a way of thinking that involves the organization and business as a whole.
"I really regret that I could not work in such a workshop much earlier." One of the E&I technicians at the Vynova location in Beek (NL) is speaking. He recently reorganized the workshop according to the 5S method, together with the colleagues in his team. He is proud that this is the reference now for other colleagues, who each approach their workplace in the same way. This is just one of the many changes that have been made by employees in the past 12 months, to their own great satisfaction.
What skills are required for technicians when using Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR&VR) applications in maintenance activities in the industry? This is the core question that we try to answer from the WCM Smart Maintenance Skills lab. Based on several pilots at Stork and Kuehne & Nagel, we have evaluated how technicians deal with the interpretation and analysis of information provided for guidance and implementation of maintenance activities when applying VR & AR applications. The research shows that age, experience and education level are of great importance for mechanics in VR & AR applications in daily practice.
For the successful realization of an international project it is of utmost importance to have a High-Performance Team (HPT). However, building and maintaining such a team is always a challenge. In this case study, I will guide you through the what-and-how of HPTs based on experience gained from an international project where I am in the team leader’s role. It will give insight in how to build an HPT. And how to ensure that it functions optimally.
Selecting the right asset reliability strategy is a question that keeps many of our customers awake at night. Currently, on social media, at conferences, in email marketing, a lot of attention is on the newest technologies like machine learning, predictive analytics and anomaly detection. It seems like APM4.0 or Predictive maintenance is the only valid strategy. But is that true? Is there a one-size-fits-all approach to asset reliability strategy? Although this might be the best approach in some cases, in many cases, this strategy's business case isn't proven and achievable.
Decision makers are passing an unusual period, when techniques that used to help them in making decisions are not fully adequate anymore. Uncertainty (due to COVID-19) has changed the stage and requires different techniques. This relatively high uncertainty comes on top of already existing cognitive biases which were (unconsciously) effecting individual or group decisions.
These are strange times. The corona crisis shows a number of effects that we can all clearly observe. Companies are completely or partially closed and have reduced their activities. It is unclear how long this will take, but the lockdown will for sure lead to a serious economic downturn. On the upside, restricted travel, working from home and much less commuting results in cleaner air and as people are looking for ways to help each other, social cohesion is getting stronger. It is interesting to see that government decisions are clearly based on the appreciated insights of scientists such as biomedics and virologists.
There is a lot of buzz around the possibilities of hydrogen as fuel and new energy carrier in our energy system. Hydrogen can be a key ingredient to reach carbon-neutrality in Europe and an important solution to move away from fossil fuels. To explore the opportunities and risks of introducing large scale green hydrogen production in the Netherlands, Stork started a research named “Green Electrons to Green Hydrogen” (GE2GH2). The goal is to find a way to leverage the partnerships and connections in the value chain to drive awareness and action and to ensure that the Netherlands can become an internationally leading hydrogen country.
Scaffolding has been around forever, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, because people in prehistoric times were already using a scaffold made of bamboo or wood to work at heights. It was only in 1913 that “Scaffixer” was patented; a coupling device that was far more robust than rope.
It’s not a question of whether robotics will change the face of inspection and maintenance. It’s a question of when. And, according to Stefano Stramigioli, professor of Advanced Robotics and Chair of the Robotics and Mechatronics Group at the University of Twente, the companies that pioneer research into industrial robots today, will be the market leaders of tomorrow.
In a process industry, shutdowns are essential to keep production going. One of our consultants, who specializes in service providing within Stork Asset Management Technology, explains.
In practice, it appears that many organizations have difficulty getting the right support from their Enterprise Asset Management system. In this blog we describe why expectations are possibly not met and what can be done about it.
In their ambition to create value from their assets Asset Owners often struggle with managing their critical knowledge. In times of an ageing workforce and (technical) personnel shortage this issue is moving more and more towards the strategic Asset Management agenda.
Regardless of our role in a maintenance organization, we all know that feeling of 'Am I here for SAP or is SAP here for me?'; indeed, the question is: what's in it for me?
Regelmatig merk ik dat bedrijven worstelen met de vraag: welke van de verschillende ingediende projectvoorstellen levert aantoonbaar voldoende verbetering op na implementatie, een van mijn persoonlijk favoriete thema’s. Door middel van een aantal blogs wil ik proberen hier enige duidelijkheid in te scheppen. Hierbij de tweede bijdrage die ingaat op het doel van ‘Asset Portfolio Management’ voor uw organisatie.
Door bedrijven wordt al jaren gewerkt aan energiebesparing via meerjarenafspraken voor energie-efficiëntie. Naast maatregelen voor energiebesparing zien we dat ons energielandschap aan het veranderen is, waarbij het aandeel van hernieuwbare energie groeit.
Predictive maintenance: everyone talks about it and seems to know how to do it. But what is it really? Enos Postma takes us into the world of assets, predictive maintenance, statistics and algorithms and explains how to implement predictive maintenance in six clear steps.
Insufficient control over capex? Unexpected major expenses? The sentence: “that will definitely last another 10 years?” These are all good reasons to consider preparing a Long-Term Asset Replacement Plan (LTARP).
Where maintenance is concerned, the urge to achieve Continuous Improvement and learn from mistakes is vital: economically, technically and from the point of view of competition.
Maintenance is one of the pillars of Asset Management and plays an important role in the achievement of a successful value in use. Over the years, many programs have been developed with the improvement of maintenance in mind. However, they tend to forget the most important factor: the policy and strategy of the organization.
In a landscape where only a handful of companies in oil, gas and petrochemical are embracing the opportunities of digitalization to gain better levels of productivity, this blog provides a comprehensive digest on how analytics can be used to redefine current maintenance strategies.
RAMS stands for Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety and defines the functional requirements that a project must meet. RAMS is now a household name in the world of large, complex infrastructure projects and is closely linked to Systems Engineering.
From an asset management perspective, we can argue that the earth is our most important asset and should therefore be carefully managed. Good stewardship is expected of asset managers, and the task at hand is taking good care of the earth.
In 2016, Istimewa called on the consultants from Stork Asset Management Technology to help them further professionalize their own asset management. The Stork consultants help to develop another way of thinking and working.
Duurzaam ondernemen is een must voor het bedrijfsleven. Uit de Nationale Duurzaamheidsmonitor 2015, blijkt dat 86 procent van de ondervraagde bedrijven van mening is dat een onderneming de plicht heeft om goed na te denken over de impact op het milieu en de samenleving.
Is the scrum method only suitable for IT projects? Our experience is that industries can achieve better results through this form of collaboration.
Which would you prefer: Prevention or Cure? Preventing equipment from failing is obviously a good thing. But we cannot predict everything. The best preventative efforts still fail sometimes. Wouldn't that suggest that the better answer would be 'Cure!'?
Congratulations to Stork’s HVACR Team (James Duffy, Farhad Efendiye and Davie McLean), based in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. They have each been awarded an Operational Excellence Award for their outstanding work and commitment during their offshore rotations in the region.
Last week, Wednesday 27th September, the UK & Africa region held their annual REACH Beyond Zero Awards at Trinity Hall in Aberdeen. Over 90 Stork employees, clients and industry peers gathered to recognise the exceptional commitment to HSEQ made by the UK & Africa region’s finalists over the past 12 months.
At Stork Asset Management Solutions we aim to make knowledge, which is critical to the services that we provide, accessible. This includes both explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge. In practice, we are talking about knowledge bases and knowledge owners.
The majority of the facilities in the (petro)chemical industry in the Netherlands have been operating for many years. Many of them could be categorized as relatively old - “aging” - facilities, which could give an increased risk to the occurrence of accidents.
Het selecteren van een Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) of een Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) ondersteunend systeem is één van de meest uitdagende projecten voor een onderhoudsorganisatie en/of operationele organisatie.
In my work, I often come into contact with customers who feel that maintenance can be better and, above all, cheaper. Then there are those customers who are fine with everything and see maintenance more as a necessary evil. In this blog I will explain the usefulness and necessity of having a substantiated maintenance concept and how it can be managed.
Over the past years, I have worked for various companies that, after years of carrying out reactive maintenance, wanted to take the step forward to performing maintenance at a planned level.
For a long time Fabric Maintenance was as much about aesthetics and making the asset look good, as it was the operation of the plant. But the times have changed.
The quality of data is a difficult concept; you can approach it intuitively: for example data that is ‘good'. But it quickly becomes trickier when there are several users of the same data, and trickier still if each one of these users wants to achieve different goals with that data.
Asset-intensive companies face tighter maintenance budgets, stricter regulations and increased pressure to improve asset performance, whilst confronted with aging assets and workforce.
