The ability to re-locate a critical manufacturing plant without severely affecting production output is no mean feat. But when you add to the equation that a total of 67 machines had to be de-commissioned, transported 100 miles and re-commissioned then the task becomes more onerous. Especially when, as part of the move, a number of large capacity machines had to be taken out of action and totally re-engineered. Solutions reports.
Laser Process Ltd, Upper Keys, Keys Park, Cannock, Staffordshire WS12 2GE Tel: 01543 495000 E:
sales@laserprocess.co.uk
Weatherford Manufacturing & Services in the United Arab Emirates, part of a leading global network specialist supplier of components and services for the world’s oil and gas industry.
We specialise in the supply of Quality New & Used machines from the world’s leading manufacturers.
Our aim is to offer our clients the type of experience, and the professional levels of service and support they deserve.
He spent more than a year marshalling the scheme – and, he says, the experience and expertise of the engineering and service team from TW Ward CNC Machinery proved a key ally in the five month campaign to relocate Weatherford’s Dubai plant to Abu Dhabi. For its part of the project,
DEBURRING SERVICES
APPROVED SUBCONTRACT DEBURRING SERVICE
CALL it what you like –
DEBURRING SHARP EDGE REMOVAL BURR REMOVAL INTERNAL DEBURRING EXTERNAL DEBURRING FLASH REMOVAL FRAZE REMOVAL DEFRAZING CROSSHOLE DEBURRING BRUSHING BARRELING TUMBLING VIBRATORY ABRASIVE FLOW AFM ECM ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHINING ELECTROCHEMICAL DEBURRING ECD EXTRUDE HONE METAL FINISHING SURFACE FINISHING POLISHING
WE know what you mean and we can deburr it!
AS9001 AVAIATION INDUSTRY APPROVED “SHIP TO STOCK” AVAILABLE FOR CUSTOMERS
FAST TURNAROUND FROM A FEW HOURS TO FOUR DAYS ON AVERAGE CRITICAL COMPONENTS A SPECIALITY COMPETITIVE SERVICE
Deburring Services Limited Cleeve Business Park Bishops Cleeve Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL52 8TW
Phone : 01242 677 007 Fax : 01242 677 022 E-mail:
john@deburring.co.uk Web:
deburring.co.uk
FOR COMPLEX COMPONENTS
TW Ward engineers not only carried out the transfer and re-commissioning of 67 machines from sites in Dubai and the United States to Abu Dhabi, but they also undertook the refurbishment and repair of two large Butler Elgamill bed type machining centres. And, one of the company’s senior engineering technicians remained onsite for the duration of the project as the ‘on the ground general’. He was complemented by a squad of service engineers flown in from Sheffield and TW Ward also sent engineers from its South Yorkshire base to North America to de-commission 17 machines then expertly re-commission them upon their arrival in the Middle East.
In total, the project involved 38 CNC machines and 12 manual machines – moved from Dubai to Abu Dhabi – plus 15 CNC and two manual machines from North America to the UAE. The tally included a range of small to large capacity lathes, machining centres
his was the project that confronted Andy Simpson, general manager at
and milling machines (some with bed capacities up to 8-10m)
Operating in over 100 countries and employing more than 50,000 people worldwide, Weatherford is one of the largest global providers of advanced products and services that span the drilling, evaluation, completion, production and intervention cycles of oil and natural gas wells. Its business is focused on a number of core service lines – artificial lift, drilling services, well construction, drilling tools, completion, wireline, re-entry and finishing, stimulation and chemicals, integrated drilling, and pipeline and specialist services. Now located in the industrial city of Abu Dhabi, Weatherford’s manufacturing facility produces a range of products that support its business demands in the Middle East and North Africa, supplied globally to oil and gas sector customers.
Mr Simpson explains the reason for the move: “In short, we decided to relocate to be closer to our customers. Abu Dhabi has a larger oil and gas industry than Dubai and most of the larger companies have
offices, workshops and bases in Abu Dhabi. The move has also enabled us to position our manufacturing processes closer to some of our other operational bases, so helping to reduce logistics between all sites.” The move to the brand new factory in Abu Dhabi has also created an expansive facility where all Weatherford’s production machines are sited alongside each other in one large shopfloor area – and there’s plenty of space for additional manufacturing capacity, if required. Outlining how the project discussions started at the end of 2009, Mr Simpson says the first machines were moved from Dubai in the middle of July 2010 and the last machine from Dubai arrived in Abu Dhabi in the middle of December 2010. The remaining 15 machines – re-located from Weatherford’s Houston site in North America – were installed in Abu Dhabi by the end of April 2011. “We selected TW Ward as our project partner after a number of discussions involving local and other UK companies,” he says. “TW Ward’s senior engineering and service manager, Mario DeVito travelled to Dubai initially to discuss the project. After talking to him with prior knowledge of TW Ward’s expertise in the field of machine removal, re-commissioning and re-engineering, the company was selected – not only on price but, crucially, also on its ability to help us project manage this enormous undertaking as well as provide onsite breakdown support during the full transition period if required, which gave added peace of mind.”
TW Ward’s senior engineering technician Alan Ledger was located onsite at Weatherford for the full duration of the project as project lead and consultant, liaising closely with Sheffield-based Mario DeVito and with Mr Simpson and the Weatherford maintenance team. Up to eight Ward service and application engineers as well as technical support staff were onsite (in Dubai and Abu Dhabi)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60