Techenomics purveys engine and equipment health data through Blue Oceans
The company will feature in upcoming World Mining Magazine edition
Avoiding downtime is a key function of maintaining efficient, productive and profitable operations on a mine site, in a transport fleet, with marine vessels, for rail services, at power stations and all industrial situations where mechanical equipment is used. This will be particularly crucial as the world starts to come out of the restrictions and shutdowns brought about by COVID-19.
Downtime is expensive not only with the cost of maintenance or repairs but also with the losses incurred by having a piece of machinery taken out of the money-making production system.
Techenomics, which specialises in condition monitoring and fluid management through its oil analysis expertise, is committed to help customers maximise engine and equipment performance and productivity by resolving lubrication issues.
An important component in Techenomics’ service is the company’s proprietary online software platform, Blue Oceans, where clients can view historical data anytime they like. Through this software Techenomics purveys the data obtained from its fluid management and condition monitoring expertise to customers as quickly as possible.
In an upcoming feature in World Mining Magazine, editor Martin Ashcroft explains what makes Techenomics tick, including Blue Oceans. He spoke to CEO Chris Adsett and Australian Operations Manager Jason Davis and asked them how Techenomics helps customers extend the life and improve the efficiency of their equipment.
The article states that after evaluating an oil or lubricant sample, the company’s chemists investigate and report on the lubricant’s fundamentals and ability to perform. Results and comments are then viewed by the chief chemist and evaluated by the mechanical failure analysis team. Once they are in agreement, a report is sent to the client via email. This is then uploaded to Blue Oceans and clients can view historical data anytime they like.
Adsett explained the origin of the term Blue Oceans – In their classic book, Blue Ocean Strategy, published in 2004, Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne coined the terms ’red ocean’ and ‘blue ocean’ to describe market dynamics. Blue ocean strategy is characterised as the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost, to open up a new market space and create new demand, making the competition irrelevant.
He said: “Our Blue Oceans software program provides a marketplace where we combine the equivalent of a physiotherapist, a specialist, a GP and the pathology laboratory all in one. When we do somebody’s fluid analysis, we look to provide them with a total end result. We use the oil analysis or the fluid analysis data but provide a potential solution or a sign-off.”
In describing the interactivity of the software, Adsett said customers “can log on, they can look at the entire history, they do a bit of analytics. It’s continually being updated. At the moment it’s on the Microsoft Azure platform and we’re adding bells and whistles on it for continuous improvement all the time.”
Davis described the analysis that Techenomics carries out and the type of trending data that can be viewed on Blue Oceans. “We analyse the sample to detect things like the wear of metals and the depletion of additives. As these wear off the quality of the oil deteriorates. We also test viscosity, which is the thickness of the lubricant. Then there are particles in the oil, so we measure particle size and shape. There’s quite a lot involved.”
Techenomics is able to customise its condition monitoring package to suit customer requirements, and this includes the Blue Oceans software. “They’re not always the same,” Davis says. “It depends on the equipment and what they’re monitoring.”
Adding value to the overall fluid management and condition monitoring process is the unique inorganic fullerene-like tungsten disulphide (IFWS2) product that is distributed throughout the Techenomics network and exclusively to the mining industry.
For more information about Techenomics International visit www.techenomics.net or contact Chris Adsett, c.adsett@techenomics.com; in Indonesia Freddy, freddy@techenomics.com; in South East Asia Siti, siti@techenomics.com, in Mongolia Tumee, tumee@techenomics.com, in Australia Jason Davis, jason.davis@tecehenomics.com, or in Africa Chris Adsett, c.adsett@techenomics.com.