PTFE Xylan 1427 coating for Saipem
Customer’s challenge
Saipem S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oilfield services company. They offer construction and off-shore and onshore drilling services. Recently, Saipem have been involved in the design, engineering and construction of off-shore wind farms. They are committed to transforming strategies and projects into competitive and sustainable infrastructures, plants and processes, on the path to energy transition. Siapem are engineers who strive for a sustainable future.
Saipem aims to build a new off-shore wind farm off the coast of Normandy. It concerns a total of 71 wind turbines. These wind turbines will be located in the sea and are therefore in constant contact with seawater. Because of this constant contact with salt, the corrosion rate is very high. Saipem wanted a cost-efficient solution for securing the boat landing. Instead of using alloy steel boltings, Saipem wanted to use regular steel bolts with a corrosion-resistant coating. The alloy steel boltings have a high price, especially with nickel prices continuing to rise, so the customer was looking for an alternative. Normal steel is not an option either, as this would rust within 1 week. We have advised the customer in choosing the right coating, which we have a lot of experience. We supported the customer all the way to the delivery at the location in Arbatax.
The sales process
The nickel price continues to rise and as a result steel is becoming more and more expensive. Saipem was looking for an alternative solution instead of spending a high price on the alloy steel boltings. Saipem conducted research online and approached us. Together we went into a process where we advised Saipem on how to tackle their challenge as efficiently as possible while keeping costs as low as possible. Saipem put out a tender and then decided to do business with us.
The solution from HBS Solutions
Within HBS Solutions, we have a great deal of experience with this type of challenges faced by clients. As a result, we know how to set up the process in the best possible way and which resources to use to address the client's challenge in the best possible way. The customer indicated that he wanted a short delivery time. This, in combination with the considerable volume, namely 12 tons of parts, was a challenge we grasped immediately. In order to be able to achieve this for the customer, we worked together with our partners who deliver high quality. In consultation with the customer we chose to use carbon steel with a double coating. This coating is PTFE Xylan 1427, which is resistant to seawater for 5 to 10 years.
The customer was very pleased with the solution we offered. This has provided them with a significant cost savings. In fact, the price-quality ratio of our PTFE Xylan 1427 is much of a better value than if the customer had chosen the alloy steel boltings. This PTFE Xylan 1427 will last for 5 to 10 years just like the alloy steel boltings, but the price of the PTFE Xylan 1427 is three times lower.
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About the client
Saipem S.p.A. is an Italian multinational oilfield services company. Saipem has a large global market share and a turnover of 7.3 billion. They offer construction and off-shore and onshore drilling services. Saipem installs sub-sea pipelines, installs fixed platforms, manages complete onshore construction projects, and drills for oil mainly in Italy, Algeria, Nigeria and the Arabian peninsula. Recently they have been involved in the design, engineering and construction of off-shore wind farms. They have always promoted innovation and, today, they are already committed to building a sustainable future.
