The systems employed by some major companies in their production processes are so large that when problems occur they can present problems that need new thinking in order to find suitable solutions.
In the past, large scale industrial projects would use in-house teams of engineers to design and construct their own machinery to remedy specific situations as they arose. However, in today’s sophisticated networks (such as those used by oil and gas extraction and production industries) the potential cost of downtime means solutions need to be found much faster than in the past.
Portable machines
The needs for insitu machining across a wide range of industries means the specific requirements cover a vast range of applications. This is why the use of portable machines is becoming an industry standard way of solving problems on projects that require fast turnaround fixes which are also cost effective.
In the past, unforeseen circumstances would require a lengthy period of development in the search for a specific solution but today specialised tools and equipment available for hire can be altered and adapted in the field.
This means that they can deal with situations in a shorter space of time.
Downtime
A complete halt of any large scale industrial process can prove extremely costly and therefore portable machine tools not only save on the R&D of an in-house solution but also make sure that outage costs and loss of productivity are kept to a minimum.
Although there are a wide range of industrial processes and each can present unique challenges even across similar fields of operations, the flexibility offered by portable tools means that each situation can be assessed on its own merits. Adaptability in the form of add-ons and additional equipment means that hired tools can be put to work in the harshest of working conditions, such as those often encountered in the oil and gas extraction and processing industries.
Economy
As well as the importance impact hiring machines can have on the timescale of finding a suitable solution, the costs of additional in-house development of site specific tools can be avoided completely.
By using a rented, portable machine, long term investment in hardware can be negated. Obsolesce of older and outdated equipment can also be relegated to the past. This “mesh” or sharing economy mindset can help companies dramatically reduce their environmental footprint.
This post was generously supported by Mirage Machines, who also provided the photo.
