Switching on when things shut down

Guest article by Neil Moore, Coates Hire

Next month Coates Hire will do something it’s never done before. Our Industrial Services team will be exhibiting at AOG in Perth, and it’s fair to say we’re pretty excited. Given it’s the first time we’ve ever been to AOG, you might ask: ‘Why now?’ Well, it’s all about timing.

Construction shifts to maintenance

Oil and gas production in the West is coming off a sustained period of expansion and construction. With many new production facilities in operation and more coming online soon, the industry is moving into a maintenance phase.
It’s a big shift requiring very different skills and equipment. That said, it’s actually an area where Coates Hire is already the market leader. Each year, we provide critical maintenance and support for some of the industry’s most renowned producers globally. However, with a lot of new players entering the market, some may not be aware we can help them too. Enter the 2019 AOG Expo.

High stakes demand high expertise

Oil and gas industry regulations require major inspections every four years. Coupled with ongoing maintenance and upgrade schedules, it’s critical to effectively manage strategic shutdowns (also known as turnarounds) to get production facilities back in full operation as quickly as possible.
How high are the stakes? Well, one of our customers has a 28-day shutdown planned for May and the lost production alone will cost them millions of dollars every day. So the consequences of getting things wrong are huge, both for the company and those in charge. That’s why a trusted partner like Coates Hire is so valuable.

Shutdown specialists

The big message we’ll be sharing at AOG is the confidence our experience can bring in maximising tool time during a shutdown period. Our team employs over 30 full-time specialists in the West with decades of first-hand experience gained over hundreds of shutdowns. It’s what we do. Day in, day out.
While it’s certainly not surprising to see more and more subcontractors following the money trail into shutdowns, it’s simply not an area of core expertise for them. It’s also worth remembering they need to source virtually all of their equipment from third parties. That means more links in their supply chain – and more chances for things to go wrong. This is fundamentally different to Coates Hire with our extensive nation-wide asset list. We can call upon this equipment as and when required for our customers – often at very short notice – providing fast and easy access to some of the most advanced technology on the market.

More than just equipment

Clearly, equipment is what we’re best known for. But another message we want to get out there is that our Industrial Services team can bring expertise in other project-critical areas like safety compliance and environmental risk management. Our C.H.A.S.E. (Coates Hire Automated Shutdown Environment) tracking and reporting system can also provide sophisticated project data, so supervisors can see exactly where things are – and aren’t – being managed efficiently. This data allows them to make adjustments in real time during their shutdown, and also provides vital learnings that can be used to make future shutdowns even more efficient.

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Article credit: Coates Hire will be exhibiting at AOG 2019. Visit them at Stand C20. View the original article here.