Offshore Day 2014
Sea what the future holds
During its Customer Conference, Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe wanted to give participants an overview of current offshore developments and trends beyond the bounds of the company. The outcome was an interesting exchange of knowledge and ideas between partners, suppliers and customers.
Even before the conference started, it was clear from the speakers list that this would be an interesting and exciting event. The 44 participants from seven countries, who met in Siegen on September 19, 2014, played their part in making the conference a success. Besides employees from pipe-laying and processing companies, representatives from international energy Groups, such as SHELL, were present.
"Instead of emphasizing our own services and performance, we wanted to hear what our project and cooperation partners had to say," says Nils Schmidt, who planned and organized the event. "Strictly speaking, what we had in mind was a technical exchange on existing possibilities and future developments. The focus of the event was on the network of partners and suppliers, and the associated added value for our customers."
In his talk, David Whittle (Swagelining) focused on the revolutionary LinerBridge®, a novel pipe connection.
Benjamin Chapman (NOV-Tuboscope) spoke about the Zap-Lok system.
The talk was followed by a detailed practical demonstration of the system.
Fascinating lecture program
In their talks, all the speakers had the opportunity to present their respective companies and their key activities.
The speaker from Conline spoke primarily about cooperation between Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe and the Dutch specialist for heavy concrete coats for steel pipes as well as the resultant synergies and customer benefits.
Swagelining from Scotland is concerned with polymer liners and innovative pipe connections. David Whittle focused on the revolutionary LinerBridge® Connection. In contrast to conventional techniques – which are either quick and expensive or more favorably priced and slow – and the product developments of many other pipe-laying companies, this novel connection represents a quick, cost-effective and flexible solution.
Elke Muthmann from sister company Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech gave a complete overview of her company's portfolio and highlighted special features of successfully realized offshore projects.
Benjamin Chapman from NOV-Tuboscope explained the Zap-Lok connection process and talked about the first offshore projects to use this novel system. According to a 2013/2014 study, the pipe-laying company proved that Zap-Lok is on a par with conventional welded joints in the offshore sector. The talk was followed by a detailed practical demonstration of the process during a guided tour of the Siegen plant.
Event concept worked well
All participants followed the program with great interest. There were lively conversations after the talks and, during the breaks, news was exchanged and trends were discussed.
David Whittle from Swagelining: "A well-planned event that has given us new and promising insights into technically related areas."
The basic idea of promoting an exchange and know-how transfer between the organizer, partners, suppliers and customers proved to be a genuine success.
Elke Muthmann's presentation also highlighted numerous offshore projects successfully realized by Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech.