Life-cycle support Service, training and refurbishment
IHC Hytech and Royal IHC (IHC) customers rely on the unrivalled level of commitment that is offered to them through dedicated and comprehensive life-cycle support services. These help to maximise the equipment’s availability and the return on investment, and therefore reduces the total cost of ownership. The cycle can be entered at any of its five integrated stages. The technology innovator’s highly qualified experts design and build innovative systems and advanced equipment based on their vast worldwide experience of the commercial and military diving, hyperbaric tunnelling, hyperbaric medical and industrial life-support industries.
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The company offers a complete spectrum of high-quality and up-to-date services to ensure that crews operate in a highly skilled and efficient manner to achieve optimum levels of productivity. IHC life-cycle support also allows operators to maintain the durability and reliability of their systems through a range of specialist services. Furthermore, an upgrade by means of refurbishment, renovation, modification or update of the existing systems, components and/or software can extend the working life of the system and equipment. With the expertise to research, engineer and install to the highest possible standard, the IHC team will also utilise complex processes, knowledge and experience to maintain the correct and safe operation of all its products.
Design The design phase encompasses the entire trajectory, from the first point of contact about a potential diving, life-support or other hyperbaric challenge, to the last drawing or calculation, directed to offer a practical solution. Research and development to find the solution for concrete challenges across the full breadth of the market. In the offshore area for example, reduced cycle time of divesupport systems, optimum power system configurations, motion reduction and compensation, increased fatigue lifetime and workability analysis are currently the subject of ongoing research programmes. Engineering design and building specifications and packages that are ready to manufacture any specific equipment in the market. IHC Hytech constructs custom-built systems and equipment to meet customer-specific requirements, as wel as standard systems with a ready-to-build design. Build Irrespectiveof the actual location, the building stage integrates the procurement, manufacturing, commissioning and testing of the equipment’s hardware and software. Their future utilisation and operational efficiency are enhanced and ensured by the life-cycle support services listed below. These services improve the quality, sustainability, durability, ease of maintenance, compliance to regulations, and awareness of systems and operations. Depending on the type of equipment and/or contract, they are – partly or wholly – integrated in the scope of delivery, but they can also be offered separately to customers worldwide. Project management throughout the whole process, or during any specific part of the building and/or manufacturing stage. Thanks to its versatility, IHC can put experienced project managers working in the disciplines of shipbuilding, mechanics, hydraulics and electrics/automation at its customers’ disposal worldwide.
Commissioning of every subsystem on board and coordination with third parties – including authorities and legislative bodies– can turn out to be a challenge. IHC commissioning engineers and technicians from the mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and/or electrical/automation disciplines – mostly invoked on the basis of a concrete subsystem delivery – regularly make such ventures into a success. Testing and certification, tests of IHC’s and third-party equipment, stability tests and booklets, certificates, trials and tests on the job. Such independent tests and certificates considerably improve confidence in system quality and its non-stop utilisation. These also convince authorities about the properties of equipment deployed in their territory, which may be conditional for its admission. Class approvals of vital components, subsystems and complete structures by such legislative bodies as BV, LRS, DNV, ABS and others. Warranty and extended warranty: the usual contractual and/or legally prescribed warranty entitlement is kept meticulously by IHC, and in some cases extended for specific systems. In addition, there are many potential arrangements to extend the warranty for particular situations. Technical support: following commissioning, an IHC Superintendent Technical Services will be appointed as a technical assistant and single point of contact. He/she is stationed in The Netherlands or at a regional office, and can be consulted for technical advice and support regarding maintenance, technical issues – also towards (main) suppliers – and troubleshooting in case of an emergency breakdown. Depending on the request, the Superintendent may arrange direct contact and support from required experts on electrical, mechanical or other equipment. Besides, all possible issues arising during the warranty period will be coordinated by this engineer.
Works and site supervision for all activities related to the installation and commissioning of vessels and equipment. IHC site managers or surveyors regularly support customers withconstructing and optimising equipment during building and renovation periods worldwide. For example, IHC site managers have recently successfully supervised the installation and commissioning of trailing suction hoppers built in other countries. Pressure vessel in our workshop
Operate The operational stage of a system either embraces the period from the day of delivery of the equipment until its functional withdrawal, or a full lease/rental period. During this trajectory, the aim is to preserve the system’s vital functionality and efficiency under prevailing or changing operational conditions. Training of customers’ employees helps to shape a competent and confident team that performs conscious, efficient and sustainable dredging operations at a reduced level of risk and downtime,and animproved level of safety and ROI. Technological innovations and the continuous focus on improving performance demand that people are trained in a way that fits the necessary competences to perform a specific job. Several types of training are available, for example customised, equipment-related, function-related, specialised and open courses. IHC Hytech is also an official institute for the “Kirby Morgan maintenan and repair technician course” and the “Kirby Morgan operator/user training”. Measuring and diagnostics to provide data for the optimal performance of your operations. These may address cost optimisation, technical analysis of the main systems and/or every measurement or diagnostic challenge occurring during operations.
Maintain At this stage, the aim is to optimise the system’s availability in a cost-effective manner. This is achieved by intelligently maintaining its technical functionality with regard to prevailing operational circumstances – and by a quick response in the event of anunexpected technical defect. Spare parts for every installed system, including OEM spares from third parties, are the basis for sound maintenance. They might be kept in stock on board, or easily obtained. To facilitate the latter, and consequently reduce running costs, IHC offers spare part availability agreements to ensure an agreed level of stock and lead times for specific items at preliminary prices. Component repair enables customers to have unserviceable or worn-out components exchanged in a guaranteed optimal removal/installation time, resulting in optimal uptime. Assistance from IHC experts ensures minimum exchange times and resultant downtime. Unserviceable components are returned to IHC Hytech – or one of the licensed repair workshops worldwide – for repair and/ or overhaul. These utilise OEM tooling, components and procedures to ensure proper working components.
Analyses and studies to provide operational guidance for the optimal performance of operations and utilisation of equipment. Such analyses and studies can be directed to production or cost figures, but also to technical issues and/or problems with equipment. Research and development (R&D) to optimise existing systems or enable operations that were previously considered impossible.
Training of IHC Hytech equipment
Service container for better maintenance on location
Upgrade This stage facilitates several options for the necessary overhaul and/or replacement of major or structural systems and subsystems. These are based on economic considerations, continuing compliance to regulations or changing operational requirements. Measuring and diagnostics of IHC Hytech systems to determine performance and define the potential necessary upgrade, renovation or replacement of major systems in order to optimise performance. Such measurements may have any possible technical or operational issue as their subject.
Design of the refurbisment of the Dutch Royal Navy’s Medusa
Life-cycle engineering to facilitate adaptations on equipment, systems and structures.It includes, for example, the engineering of modifications, renovations, production improvements and upgrades on all kinds of equipment and systems.This provides basic and detailed engineering, from ideas to concepts and from drawings to calculations. From feasibility to hardware deliveries, project management to modification support and turnkey renovation services, it’s all in the portfolio and available worldwide.
After the refurbisment
System upgrading involves the replacement of major and/or structural systems and/or software for functional adaptations to new technical or operational requirements.
Air control panel
IHC Hytech BV Elftweg 3, 4941 VR, Raamsdonksveer The Netherlands T +31 162 52 22 02 F +31 162 51 90 69 hytech@ihcmerwede.com www.ihcmerwede.com www.ihchytech.com
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Renovation incorporates the replacement of major equipment or vessels’ structural elements without main functional adaptations. It mostly concerns outdated or inefficientdredging vessels. IHC experts have the knowledgeand capabilities to research, engineer and install the best technicaland economical possibilities that will help to optimise current equipment andtherefore extend its life or start a new life cycle. An example is the refurbishment of Medusa of the Royal Dutch Navy.