Innovate! But don’t forget your roots
Innovation is the foundation of any company’s success. No matter what sector you’re operating in, if you want to produce products and services that continue to add value in this changing world, you need to put an emphasis on coming up with new ideas and concepts. Discover, develop and test – this is the basic formula for growth and progression for any company.
This is particularly true in the oil and gas industry, where many are still adjusting to a ‘new normal’, and building for resilience in the face of a future that, while likely brighter, is still uncertain. In an industry sometimes maligned for being slow to adapt, we now find ourselves at the start of an exciting new journey in embracing the possibilities of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and blockchain. These pioneering, disruptive technologies have the potential to shape the future of the industry and allow for smarter, more efficient business operations.
However, with all this talk of new technology it sometimes feels like the term ‘innovation’ has lost its meaning. As dialogue steers increasingly towards digitalisation and technological advancements it’s easy for companies to get caught in the glittering headlights of Silicon Valley-type innovations, leading to vast sums of money being spent on expensive technology that add little or no value to the business or the customer.
At Trelleborg, we’ve always embraced new technologies and ways of working. However, to us innovation is most valuable when viewed through the prism of historical progress. Our 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry have taught us many things, and it’s important to us that we build on our previous successes to create new solutions that solve the problems of today. It’s not about riding the wave of ongoing digitalisation just for the sake of it; it’s about combining our insight with all of the tools we have at our disposal to come up with the best product for our customers.
While some innovative products are built to replace current offerings, innovation doesn’t have to be about reinventing the wheel. And we should know: all of our hose applications are still based on our original nippleless, dual-carcass Kleline hose first produced in the 1970’s, which was inspired by the design of a truck tyre, reinforced with steel cables. Today you can still see the influence of our original Kleline hose in all of our hose applications. Every time we create a new solution, it’s always based from the ground up.
Take our Swiline and Cryoline hoses, for example. The Swiline seawater suction hose is used to bring cool water to floating production platforms, such as FSPO’s and FLNG’s, which require huge quantities of cold water to absorb the heat generated when LNG is compressed and liquefied. This type of hose needs to operate safely and efficiently for up to 25 years, placing unique requirements on the hose’s flexibility and durability. The Cryoline hose, on the other hand, allows LNG to be transferred safely and efficiently in harsh environments, and at extremely low temperatures.
Both the Swiline and Cryoline hoses were designed as a response to two separate challenges in the oil and gas industry, and required different types of innovation. Despite their differences, they do have a lot in common. Both hoses combine existing and proven technologies (composite hoses and rubber-bonded hoses) with customised innovation based on technological advancements successfully demonstrated in oil and gas applications over the past 40 years.
Here at Trelleborg Oil and Marine, we let our ideas be defined by the importance of the problems they solve. We continue to investigate how new technologies can be put to use in new applications, but we’ll never forget who we are, and where we came from.