Maintenance conference explores modernization cost savings and opens the doors to the digitalization mega trend

Expert service teams can often identify opportunities for improvement and investigate any performance issues, even after units have been in operation for many years. These capabilities and Bruks Siwertell’s progressive attitude towards the digitalization mega trend have recently been discussed at the Bruks Siwertell maintenance conference in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, at the beginning of April this year.

Finding successful service setups

Almost 40 delegates attended the event, from around a dozen countries throughout Asia. Tony Aronsson, Area Manager Services APAC, welcomed them and proceedings started with seminars on maintenance, which were followed by a lively workshop and round-table discussion with Bruks Siwertell experts. The conference explored issues surrounding finding a successful service arrangement for different operators, as well as how to balance budgets with maximizing equipment availability and peace of mind.
 
Various installations were highlighted, including the operation of two Siwertell ST 790-D ship unloaders at the Masinloc power plant in the Philippines, where recent support in the form of a major modernization project, is helping to keep older systems running most efficiently.

“Customers’ needs are changing constantly, but if Bruks Siwertell can save customers money by bringing a system already installed up to modern operating parameters to prolong its service life, we certainly encourage that,” Mr Aronsson notes. “Our systems are built to last, and even older systems have been built with longevity and scalability in mind. This means we can respond quickly to meet customers’ needs, and give them the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve by minimizing major capital investments.”

Exponential growth in the digital landscape

Breaking new ground at the conference was the digitalization seminar, a follow-up from the maintenance conference in the Philippines in 2017. The presentation and following workshop was delivered by IT Manager, and self-confessed technology nerd, Michael Fors. Mr Fors discussed the staggering growth of the digital landscape, which has grown from 4.4 to an anticipated 44 zettabytes in 2020. 

“This has extraordinary ramifications for port operators and other customers of Bruks Siwertell,” explains Mr Fors. “Developments are happening at incredible speeds and we will need to accept and adapt to this mega trend.”

Bruks Siwertell’s possible future digital developments were outlined in five scenarios spanning the realms of Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR) training, customer and supplier interfacing, and augmented reality for maintenance.

“These are just our firmer concepts, but the range of ideas is truly limitless,” adds Mr Fors. “The extraordinary thing about the digital frontier is that it offers so many possibilities for our company and our customers. It may be that we humans will have to develop our own algorithms just to fathom it all. But, before we get there, perhaps our customers already have some ideas?”

Interactive experiences

The conference was concluded with delegates being given the opportunity to witness some digital advances first-hand in an interactive VR experience. Customers were able to walk around and investigate in detail Bruks Siwertell’s latest machine, the port-mobile unloader.

“In the immediate future, we can leverage these technological gains to demonstrate to our customers how we are pushing forward, both in the physical and in the digital realm,” Mr Fors highlights.