Always pushing innovation
Corporate Innovation & Technical Excellence
Using technical excellence to solve problems and develop new solutions in robotic systems, electricity generation and communication.
What do robots, an ‘Iron Hog’ and digital portals have in common? They’re all innovative projects that KAEFER’s Corporate Innovation and Technical Excellence department (CIE) is working on. CIE is an established market leader in insulation and surface protection consulting, providing professional solutions for even the most complex technical challenges. Always aiming to push the bar higher, the team works independently and together with clients to develop new solutions and better ways of working with resources and materials.
Augmenting our expertise with the help of robots
Robotic systems work safely, provide high quality, and can also go some way in alleviating shortages of skilled workers in insulation and surface protection. In many cases, they don’t have to rely on conventional access technology, such as scaffolding and can be used continuously with high accuracy. CIE has gained initial experience in projects such as the Navantia Shipyard in Spain, using robots for surface protection applications that would have been challenging and potentially hazardous for staff. Whilst robots will never completely replace humans, they are a valuable tool that can be deployed in a wide variety of applications and can often simply be left to get on with the job.
“New technologies implemented into existing workflows and the optimisation that’s possible is a game changer,” says Thomas Rehberg, Head of Asset Integrity Management and Product Excellence at KAEFER. “Problems that were previously difficult to solve or could only be tackled using a large number of people, often with special protective equipment, are now conceivable in a completely new way. This technological freedom and the implementation of new solutions into existing projects with the associated positive feedback from the construction site are a special motivation for me.”
MonkeyBot: a robot to install sensors on pipes
Robotic systems are ultimately new solutions that can drive productivity and increase the quality that KAEFER provides. They perform their tasks in different environments and can do things quicker and more efficiently. Combined with the complex problem-solving skills of KAEFER’s experts and engineers, this makes for an unbeatable combination.
In it for the long haul with the Iron Hog
PICC stands for Power Induced Catalytic Combustor and is a KAEFER-developed and patent-pending technology for using waste gases as fuel.
Developed at KAEFER's Corporate Competence Center Renewable Energies in Bremen, PICC is a decentralised energy generation plant which can convert residual and non-flammable lean gases in addition to standard gases and generates electricity and process heat. This avoids the damaging venting of residual methane, for example. In addition to the PICC reactor, a micro heavy-duty gas turbine with an associated electrical system and control technology was developed. This device was nicknamed “Iron Hog” and can achieve significantly improved exhaust values, thanks to the catalytic conversion of fuel gases.
This innovative PICC technology provides new solutions in environmental protection and contributes to a decentralised energy supply. As the developer of this technology, KAEFER is underlining its claim to be a provider of solutions and technical excellence.
Power Induced Catalytic Combustor (PICC)
“The PICC project is a showcase for our engineering expertise,” explains Andreas Pöppinghaus, Head of Corporate Competence Center Renewable Energies at KAEFER. “The quality KAEFER can provide in tackling environmental and energy challenges is clear to see and helps both existing and potential clients understand how we can be a partner rather than simply a provider.”
For the engineers working on the project, it’s a rare occasion and a lucky break to be able to design, develop, build, and test such a complex piece of interdisciplinary technology. “This is only possible because we have experienced engineers, even in management, who accompany us, nurture us and help us achieve the seemingly unachievable,” Pöppinghaus adds. “As a long-term project that can make a lasting impact on our climate and our environment by avoiding the burning of fossil fuels, we think it’s worth being in it for the long haul.”
Let’s talk – digitally
On just about any project, effective communication is a key driver of success. It enhances transparency, speeds delivery, and expedites problem solving. For KAEFER in Benelux, developing a communication platform for the whole life cycle of a scaffolding job on site also responds to a need from clients and gives the company a differentiator in the marketplace.
Supported by CIE, KAEFER in Benelux developed a completely digital portal for secure, stable and reliable communication between the client and KAEFER. This software-based solution works by providing complete transparency and the centralised sharing of all data. Both KAEFER and the client can see what has been done on a project and what there still is to do, as well as order and material quantities, approve documents, work on timesheets and much more.
Developing the portal involved clearly defining the scope and use case, as well as outlining all the types of communication that happens between KAEFER and the client on a project. Selecting and configuring the right software with the help of CIE came next and a working system was set up in the space of just three weeks.
There are many benefits of having a centralised and structured communication portal: all parties can see the same things, everything is stored and always accessible and there is no need for any other kinds of media, such as paper, e-mail, fax, etc. “KAEFER Benelux has paved the way,” says Dr Patrick Barthold, Head of Technology & Smart Insulation Systems at KAEFER.
“They are the first to use an interactive client portal with communication in both directions, KAEFER to client and client to KAEFER, but I am certain that this will be rolled out to many other markets and make a major difference to the way we run projects all around the world. It’s about improving the way we work and designing an elegant solution that reduces waste, not just in processes but in terms of resources and material as well.” He couldn’t have communicated it any more clearly than that.