In the 1990s we started to move gradually from landlines to mobile phones. Since then, most of our daily lives have become mobile in one way or another. This is one of the reasons we at TT Gaskets thought that why shouldn’t gaskets become mobile as well. That is how we came up with shutdown service containers.
Since 2015 we have served in three major turnarounds and several smaller ones with our concept. The idea is to supply and manufacture gaskets in the premises of the facility they are needed in. We deliver a shipping container to our customer designed to function as a warehouse or a mobile factory. The containers are naturally equipped with the gaskets and materials agreed with the customer.
The stock container can be delivered for a set period of time, e.g., during a turnaround, or with an open-ended agreement as we have done with one of our customers. As well as turnarounds, the container can also be used to supply projects and maintenance. During turnarounds we can provide a customer servant in the container, but we preferably offer the container with self-service. The stock management is easy to use and is operated with RFID tags and a handheld reader. The operator can also access the stock from a browser-based interface to see the stock levels in real-time.
Currently, we are upgrading our service to become even more carefree. The stock levels will be monitored automatically and if an alarm limit is reached, the system will order a refill without a user input. The refills are delivered with an agreed interval and shelved by our delivery partner. If a deviant refill is needed, it can be ordered from the interface with a couple of clicks.
Unlike the stock container, the mobile gasket factory is provided only for turnarounds. The container has manufacturing equipment for spiral wound and flat gaskets. It also includes a skilled customer servant and a professional manufacturing worker. The gaskets can be made according to a model or a drawing. Usually, the order is completed meanwhile, or in a few hours, but larger quantities are ordered from our factory as a 24 h Fast Track delivery.
Both the container services save time and money during critical turnarounds, where a minor delay may cost 10s or 100s of thousands. At first, one of our customers was a bit skeptical about the concept and pricing, but after a successful turnaround, they wanted to make sure that we’ll be there each time.
The time and money savings don’t end in just the turnarounds, as a permanent stock container saves both throughout the organization. The procurement team doesn’t have to worry about gasket orders, the gaskets don’t need to be stocked in the customer’s warehouse and no capital is bound to the stocked gaskets as they are invoiced according to consumption. And the maintenance team doesn’t have to pick up the gaskets from the other end of the facility several kilometers away as the container can be placed near the operation and can easily be moved to another location.
If these arguments didn’t assure you, don’t hesitate to contact us and ask for more information. Or anything else regarding Smarter sealing for a safer tomorrow.
