PiperAlpha: 20 Years on
On 6 July 1988, at about 10.00pm, Occidental's Piper Alpha platform, operating 120 miles off the north east coast of Scotland, exploded in a ball of flames 120m high. 167 people died and many others were horrifically injured as they jumped or fell into the sea 30m below. The insured loss was £1.7 billion. Lord Cullen's ensuing inquiry revealed a catalogue of management failings, as well as construction, engineering and operational inadequacies that would be inconceivable today.
Reaping the benefits
Released at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2018, the ‘Readiness for the Future of Production’ report highlights Britain as one of 25 countries in a positive position to benefit from Industry 4.0, but is the plant engineering community ready yet to take advantage? Mark Venables investigates
Is your boiler house safe?
As de-manning on steam and hot water boiler plant continues to gain momentum, operators need to consider best practice and their legal duties in respect of operational safety, warns S Moore Holmes
Maintain power
With the cost of unscheduled downtime for some engineering and manufacturing companies running into hundreds of thousands of pounds a day, plant engineers are under pressure to ensure continuous production. Yet with more pressure being put on machines, due to smaller equipment running at faster speeds, correct maintenance is critical.
Bright sparks
Skanska and Volvo Construction Equipment have been testing the viability of an ‘electric site’ at a quarry near Gothenburg, Sweden. The results are in...
Absorbing practice
Staying on the right side of the law might mean paying more attention to absorbents, spill kits and the professional services around them to prevent problems. Brian Wall reports
Thwaites green upgrade is picture of efficiency
Yellow dump truck manufacturer Thwaites' paint line has been refurbished – and improved its efficiency and environmental sustainability on the way.
What is DDMRP and how can business planners use it?
Demand-driven material requirements planning (DDMRP) has been going from strength to strength since its conception in 2011, with adoption by leading companies around the world, as Mark Venables explains.