OMS wins fourth award – what were the other three for?
OMS has made a habit of winning King’s/Queen’s Awards for Enterprise over the last twenty years. Since 2007 we have now won four awards in the Innovation category, demonstrating our commitment to innovation. But what were our previous awards for? Each of them has involved innovations which have helped our customers, mainly in the energy industry, reduce their costs, become more efficient and install higher quality assets. Read more below.
2007 – the Autotool
OMS won its first Queen’s Award in 2007, for the Autotool, a pioneering laser pipe-end measurement system that uses laser sensors to assess a range of pipe dimensions including internal diameter, outer diameter, wall thickness and out-of-roundness. Clients receive data that allows them to match their pipes and increase weld quality, thus increasing asset integrity. Since its launch in 2006, the Autotool has been deployed on countless global energy projects, measuring well over 1 million pipe-ends and revolutionising the industry’s approach to measurement. Still going strong and valued by customers all over the world, OMS has recently launched the Autotool MK2, which offers more laser sensors, deeper longitudinal end measurement, a wider range of automated reporting and long seam weld assessment. As CEO Alex Felce says, ‘While we agree with the sentiment “if it’s not broken then don’t fix it” the team have done an excellent job with the new Autotool and made it into an even more useful product for our customers.’
2014 – SmartFit
Our second Queen’s Award came in 2014, this time for our SmartFit analysis software, which provides comprehensive data to clients that allows them to achieve optimum fit-up in critical pipeline sections. Pipes can be grouped, sorted and sequenced, ‘golden’ pipe can be selected for the most high fatigue areas and good fit-up can be achieved for all pipe, even those that might be considered out-of-specifications. SmartFit enables our clients to reduce costs and repairs, streamline installation and meet project specifications.
2020 – AUGA.node
In 2020 OMS won the Queen’s Award for the AUGA.node, our groundbreaking static weld inspection system, which was the culmination of ten years of innovation. A self-contained laser and video scanning system equipped with ultra-HD cameras and state-of-the-art laser sensors, the AUGA.node records comprehensive visual and dimensional information on internal weld condition. Data captured provides a full 3D map of the weld profile. Clients receive a crystal clear indication of weld quality, either confirming that installation can proceed or identifying potential issues to resolve. They save money by avoiding expensive weld cut-outs, which can cause delays worth millions of dollars at the expensive pipe-laying stage, and can improve their efficiency.
‘Innovation at its heart’
Alex Felce, CEO, said, ‘As a business, OMS has always had innovation at its heart. Our clients know our team is always seeking to improve our services and technology in ways that will benefit them. More reliable and robust tools, better welds, less expensive downtime, safer operations and, in the end, higher quality assets. Winning our fourth King’s Award is excellent confirmation of the validity of our approach.’