New Centre of Gravity Software on show
Published: 04 October, 2019
Load cell manufacturer Straightpoint (SP) will display new wireless centre of gravity software at this year’s Offshore Energy Exhibition and Conference (OEEC), which takes place 7-9 October 2019 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The expo is staged on the last two days of the event.
SP will exhibit at the show (Stand 1.616) for the third successive year and introduce the Insight programme to buying decision makers from the oil and gas, offshore wind, and marine energy sectors. Insight is designed for use with large capacity load cells and allows users to quickly report weight and centre of gravity before the lift when moving heavy items such as jackets, topsides, skids and other support structures offshore.
David Mullard, business development manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at SP, said: “The new and improved software is faster, easier to use, and far more graphical than its predecessor. Knowing the weight distribution of heavy items is essential before they are lifted offshore.”
SP will also display a variety of other wares on a 3m by 3m stand, including its popular Radiolink plus load cell, designed to be rigged with Crosby standard shackles. The wireless tension load cell is capable of weighing and dynamic load monitoring in capacities from 1t to 500t, from stock. It is available in a long range, 2.4GHz version, providing 700m or 2,300 ft. range to the manufacturer’s handheld or wireless software; or in Bluetooth that can be connected to any smart phone running SP’s free HHP app on iOS or Android, at ranges up to 100m or 328ft. Zone 0, 1 and 2 ATEX and IECEx versions are available.
Mullard, who will represent SP at Offshore Energy alongside David Ayling, global business development director for load monitoring solutions, said: “In the offshore environment people look for durable, reliable, proven products with high IP [ingress protection] ratings. The RLP boasts IP67 protection and is the go-to model in the offshore industry, as it is in many other marketplaces. Who wants to take chances in remote locations out at sea?”
Green offshore future
Mullard anticipates that the show will again deliver a breadth of demographic to the aisles, including industry professionals who have knowledge of the challenges and opportunities specific to the sector—some of those problems can be solved by load monitoring, he said—but also people interested in a green offshore future and youngsters hoping to learn and understand if this might be the industry for them as they decide upon career paths.
He added: “I also expect to see owners, entrepreneurs and key decision makers looking to make new contacts and form new partnerships. Load links are always popular for monitoring loads when people are lifting, pulling, tensioning and testing offshore. Around 30-40% of our current business is generated by the offshore industry, but when energy markets are strong, oil prices are high or when new offshore wind projects kick off, that figure can rise significantly, especially as customers demand large capacity load cells. That’s when we start to get enquiries for 500t up to 1,500t units.
“With Big Carl, the 5,000t capacity Sarens super heavy lift ring crane, ready to start work at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station project in Somerset [UK] the indications are that the energy sector will continue to push boundaries—onshore and offshore.”
SP was recently acquired by The Crosby Group, the global leader in lifting, rigging, and material handling hardware. Visit Offshore Energy Exhibition and Conference Stand 1.616.
