HCS Control Systems has launched a fleet of new mobile workshops which it hopes will make the maintenance of critical subsea control systems offshore much safer.
The company, which designs, manufactures, assembles and tests subsea equipment, has invested £750,000 in the development of a unique Test and Flushing Workshop.
These mobile cabins can be used onshore and offshore to carry out pressure-testing, flushing and cleaning of controls pipework, umbilicals and hydraulic equipment without exposing personnel to the dangers associated with such work.
The compact workshops feature a blast wall partition, effectively segregating the pressure testing and cleaning operations from the operator cabin so that workers are fully protected from the hazards of using pressure testing equipment.
Full control, measuring and recording facilities are available in the laboratory part of the cabin allowing remote operation of hydraulic controls in a clean and safe environment.
HCS’ Colin Milne commented: “Our new product is the only one of its kind and has been designed with safety firmly in mind.
“Feedback from workers encouraged us to look at what could be done to make these activities much, much safer and the result of our research, design and investment is a safer but effective solution that compares favourably with the rental costs of other test and flushing products on the market.
The firms current fleet of 10 units are certified to DNV 2.7.1 and Atex Zone 1 standards. Compact in size, they conform to standard 10’ ISO footprint and are easily configurable for specific applications.
HCS has experienced strong growth in the past 18 months following a management buy-out transaction led by FrontRow Energy Partners together with Maven Capital Partners and Simmons Parallel Energy.
This was followed by a £4.5 million financing package with RBS in 2014.
Established in 1997, HCS has earned a reputation for delivering fast track design, manufacture and testing of topside and subsea control systems to a global blue chip customer base. With a turnover of £14.6million, the company currently employs almost 100 people.