In a time when the oil and gas industry faces challenges such as price fluctuations and stringent environmental requirements, it's more important than ever to focus on safety and efficiency. Smart and digital management of your lifting equipment is about more than just safety and legal requirements. The right technology can also enhance efficiency and improve your company's profitability.
Two distinct features stand out in the industry: the intense focus on safety and the fight to prevent operational disruptions. Here lies the main reason you and your company can reap significant benefits from having a better and more conscious relationship with your lifting equipment.
We at Onix have taken on the task of digitizing the handling of your lifting equipment, allowing you to focus on core activities like oil extraction, rather than searching for the right documentation.
Why Digitalization?
Traditionally, handling lifting equipment has been a cumbersome process, often involving manual checks, paper archives, endless spreadsheets, and a lack of overview. This called for a revolution. Bernt Håvardsholm, the founder of Onix, recognized this as early as 1996.
What he envisioned was for owners of lifting equipment to have all equipment data in one place – accessible anytime, from anywhere. A world where inspection reports, maintenance plans, and equipment certifications are just a few clicks away.
The software that Bernt and his colleagues at Onix developed was initially created to address specific and practical challenges faced by lifting equipment owners in the oil and gas industry. Their daily operations were characterized by cumbersome documentation handling, often leading to safety gaps and unfortunate consequences in terms of safety.
The "secret" is that these solutions eventually proved to significantly enhance efficiency within oil companies.
More Than Just Safety
Our software is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive. There's no need for advanced technological knowledge to get you started. A user-friendly and streamlined interface means that within minutes, you'll be navigating the system like a pro.
This ease of use translates to practical safety. All your relevant users have access to lifting equipment documentation, such as user manuals, declarations of conformity, and inspections. Not only does this promote good safety practices, but it also makes it easier to comply with relevant laws and regulations.
Our software isn't just about making your life easier; it's about making your operations more productive. By digitizing processes, we eliminate time-consuming paperwork, freeing you and your colleagues to focus on what you do best.
Automated notifications ensure you stay updated and nothing is overlooked.
Five Sources of Increased Efficiency
When we look at the efficiency gains our clients in the oil and gas sector achieve using digital tools for lifting equipment, we find these originate from at least five common factors:
- Proactive Maintenance: Don't wait for the next inspection until the next time you use the equipment. Instead, conduct inspections when due. This reduces the likelihood of operational stops and revenue losses. Automated notifications are a fundamental feature of digital solutions for lifting equipment.
- Increased Safety: A digital platform is well-suited to document inspections, certifications, and declarations of conformity. Suppliers and inspectors can interact on the same platform. This saves you time on manual tracking and paperwork but also helps prevent accidents and legal complications.
- Better Utilization: What do you have? Where is it? What's its condition? With a complete overview of your lifting equipment inventory, you achieve better resource utilization. Better internal sharing reduces the need for new purchases.
- Correct Use: When users always have access to user manuals and other documentation, you can easily optimize the use of the equipment. Proper use extends its lifespan and allows for full capacity utilization.
- Integration with Other Systems: Lifting equipment software can be integrated with your other operational systems, which can streamline processes and improve efficiency across various areas of your business.
Use and Disposal of Soft Lifting Equipment: An Environmental Issue?
What we have seen across several sectors, including the Oil Industry, there exists a "use and throw away" mentality where, for instance, slings are used once, and perfectly usable slings ultimately end up in waste bins. Is this an economic and environmental concern, and if so, can something be done about it?
Bjarne Roland, affiliated with the editorial team of Kranteknikk, has frequently expressed concerns about such practices. He underscores the need to address this apparent wastage, especially when considering the resources spent on monitoring soft lifting gear. The central issue is: can we devise a system that offers cost-effective sling inspection while promoting sustainable reuse?
Kranteknikk has initiated discussions on this pressing matter, prompting its community members and readership to weigh in with their perspectives.
Our CEO and founder, Bernt Håvardsholm, has also been actively reflecting on this issue and brainstorming solutions:
But what can you do about this?
With modern technology, it's entirely feasible for you to perform sling inspections quickly, safely, and far more profitably than buying new ones. What you need is a unique and standardized RFID tagging system for the slings. Onix has had functionality for this for over a decade.
When considering the task of reading multiple slings in one operation, equipment identification using the UHF-type RFID stands out as the ideal choice for you. It's crucial to note that this very RFID type is becoming increasingly popular in logistics and goods handling across various industries. Prominent fashion chains like Levis, Zara, and Hennes & Mauritz utilize the same standardized equipment identification technology that we've integrated into Onix. This tech adoption is evident when you inspect the labels attached to their apparel.
Looking Ahead
At Onix, we're dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation, whether it's requested by you, our customer, new regulatory requirements, or we see the value ourselves. Peering into our crystal ball, we believe in the increased use of artificial intelligence to gain better insights from available data about your lifting equipment. Safety will always remain the focus of development, but we also foresee better efficiency that you, as a user, will experience in your daily operations.
The pursuit of increased efficiency in the oil and gas industry is never-ending, and we aim to contribute in our way. With our next-generation software, we help you stay ahead, simplify processes, enhance safety, and "boost" productivity. It's all about doing things increasingly better.
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