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Successfully reduced costs, reduced carbon footprint, and now can respond to customer needs in minutes instead of days
(Invisie.com, Oct. 23, 2021) -- To power the marine industry and marine natural gas worldwide, Burckhardt Compression specializes in manufacturing and serving large gas compressors. High availability maintenance is critical, but since vessels are often located in remote areas, it takes a lot of time and resources to dispatch service engineers to solve problems. That's why Burckhardt Compression uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, which allows engineers to collaborate quickly with ship technicians at remote locations and provide specialized mechanical expertise. The company has successfully reduced costs, reduced its carbon footprint, and can now respond to customer needs in minutes instead of days.
Here sounds like an action movie plot: an expert must fly around the world and repair the ship's compressor of compressed gas in time, otherwise the liquid gas will expand and turn back into gas, creating excessive pressure in the tank and causing an explosion. But that's exactly what Burckhardt Compression is trying to prevent.
Headquartered in Switzerland, Burckhardt Compression is a global market leader in reciprocating compressor manufacturing and services. The company's large compressors weigh up to 240 tons and produce three times the pressure at the deepest points in the sea. High pressure converts the gas from a gaseous state to a liquid state, so it is small in size and easy to transport. Compressors are designed to operate for 2 to 3 years at a time, and proper maintenance is critical to asset safety, cost-effectiveness and 40-year lifespan.
Compressors are used throughout the maritime industry, including container ships, cruise ships and tankers. If the compressor stops working, the liquid will turn back into gas and accumulate excessive pressure in the tank. Christian Gemperli, account manager at Burckhardt Compression, said: "As a countermeasure, ships must immediately start burning natural gas. The reliability of compressors cannot be overemphasized, not only to avoid the losses caused by burning the customer's natural gas, but also to avoid the environmental impact of burning natural gas on the ocean. ”
Because maintenance is critical, Burckhardt Compression has a business unit dedicated to compressors. In order to respond to an accident or perform proactive maintenance, Burckhardt Compression had to dispatch service engineers to anywhere the compressor was located, which was time-consuming, resource-intensive, and simply not scalable.
Helmut Draxler, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Burckhardt Compression, said: "We want to increase efficiency by using existing talent, thereby expanding our customer base and responding faster to customer requests. If a service engineer is on a business trip, our customers have to wait a day. If our engineers are on one site and have more specialized problems elsewhere, they won't be able to deliver their expertise to another customer in a timely manner. ”
1. Expertise from any device, any location
To support these assets from any location, Burckhardt Compression decided to adopt Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist. Remote service engineers support ship technicians by participating in live video chats, providing instructions with schematic overlays, and creating markers on the actual compressor screen. Visual cues are especially useful when engineers and technicians are not native speakers. The company also uses Dynamics 365 Field Service to create and manage service request cases.
"When we start a Dynamics 365 Remote Assist call, it automatically creates a case in the Dynamics 365 Field Service where we can store a record of the repair work so we can look it up when needed," Draxler said. We were impressed by this seamless interoperability. ”
Many Of Burckhardt Compression's customers comply with European explosion protection requirements. If an employee enters an area where there is a risk of explosion, any equipment they use to complete the work must be ATEX certified. Burckhardt Compression is currently using a ruggedized tablet to run Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and hopes to be able to use the device after Microsoft HoloLens is ATEX certified. Meanwhile, Burckhardt Compression is exploring the use of HoloLens 2, such as training, without the need for ATEX compliance. Draxler noted: "The number of ATEX approved devices is rather limited. We have the flexibility to run Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on different devices, regardless of the operating system. ”
2. A successful remote pilot project
Burckhardt Compression conducted a pilot project with FLEX RAINBOW. FLEX RAINBOW is an oil tanker carrying liquefied natural gas. The ship uses a satellite internet connection while in the ocean. Workers test dynamics 365 Remote Assist using simulated compressor events and practice responding to hypothetical situations. Burckhardt Compression's key findings will be available to future customers. For example, because the compressor is too loud, technicians need to wear headphones.
Draxler said: "The test went very smoothly and we learned a lot, even in harsh conditions such as big waves and thunderstorms. We worked with Microsoft to resolve issues that arose and received good support. ”
3. Fast and reliable service
Burckhardt Compression is proud to improve its service in two key areas. First, it serves customers faster by reducing travel time. "By using Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, we've dramatically reduced response times," Draxler said. We can now deliver expertise to customers around the world in minutes or seconds, improving trust, security and business continuity. ”
The company also strengthens relationships with customers by improving small maintenance and small problem handling capabilities. Rainer Dübi, president of Burckhardt Compression Services, said: "Sometimes, customers don't necessarily face a critical situation, they just need a few small pieces of advice. With Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, service engineers can answer questions quickly and in real time, which helps us build closer relationships with our highly available and customer-accessible consulting services. ”
4. A sustainable, service-oriented future
Now, the company has expanded its service capabilities and plans to add more non-Burckhardt Compression brand compressors to its service roster and contribute to the planet's environmental friendliness. "Thanks to Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, we will reduce our carbon footprint by reducing travel," Draxler noted. ”
He concluded: "In this industry, compressor service is key. Faster response times mean higher reliability and uptime, which is good for our customers and improves our reputation. ”
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Original link: https://news.nweon.com/90818