technological strength to their clients’ projects, made possible by
in-depth, expert work by the group’s research and development
teams. This innovation has also been the subject of a patent
application and demonstrates our acknowledged know-how.
Currently, Internax is adapted to pipelines with a diameter of
48 in. However, in line with needs being expressed by customers,
Serimax could soon extend its range to target diameters of 36 in.
or 56 in.
Its development has been driven by Serimax’s core philosophy
of creating robust equipment solutions from technology that has
already proven its worth on numerous worldwide construction
sites, from -30˚C to 55˚C. For example, Maxiluc – from which
Internax was developed – is an extra-strong pneumatic line-up
and field-proven clamp that facilitates and accelerates spacing,
thus optimising welding cycle time. It re-rounds pipe ends until
the out of roundness (OOR) is completely removed. Maxiluc is a
key factor when it comes to meeting the stringent requirements of
welding and mechanical specifications. Maxiluc guarantees fit-up
while ensuring material is never exposed to stresses above its yield
strength.
“Internax is the result of our technological expertise and market
needs analysis. Serimax is always responsive to its customers,
regularly developing solutions tailored to their needs, no matter
how sophisticated they are, and we are proving this yet again. This
new tool now therefore enables us to offer a complete landline
welding package with different tiers and high performance,” said
Frédéric Lepla, TRDI Landline Project Development.
High productivity in cross-country locations
The addition of Internax to the company’s portfolio will allow
Serimax to extend its customer offering, not only through different
types of productivity, but also through different welding processes.
The group is now able to offer an even more complete range of
solutions, with or without copper backing shoes, appropriate for a
variety of productivity rates and different terrain and topography.
In cross-country locations, especially in plains with a low number
of crossings, productivity will be particularly high. This innovation
means Serimax has a new range of technologies aimed at covering
the whole spectrum of landline requirements.
Finally, the association between Internax for internal root
passes and the Saturnax bug and band system for external filling
passes supplements the welding solution, with or without copper
backing shoes. Saturnax is a fully digital, multi process bug and band
welding range for spoolbase, offshore and onshore, and is known
as the most stable automatic welding torch on the market.
The Saturnax bug and band welding system focuses on the four
‘golden’ rules of welding, incorporating robust mechanics; welding
process management and integration; easy orbital parameter
setting; and arc and weld-pool stability. It comes in four variants:
Saturnax 05, Saturnax 07, Saturnax 08 and Saturnax 09.
Newly opened Welding Technology Centre
Central to the continued success of Serimax – and to the
development of new technology such as Internax – has been the
company’s continued investment in research and development
(R&D). Serimax has its own dedicated team of R&D specialists
and recently inaugurated its Welding Technology Centre; a
2000 m
2
workshop facility dedicated to research, development
and innovation looking at new equipment solutions, new welding
processes, ‘weldability’ programmes and much more. This
investment continues to grow year-on-year to ensure the company
continues to lead the market when it comes to quality and
innovation.
The centre will also become the Serimax flagship, with new
headquarters now housing central corporate functions and senior
management, at the same time as facilitating customer training
and support. The new centre will enable Serimax to focus on
the many designs of technological solutions aligned with market
expectations and build closer relationships with customers,
who are already eager to sponsor and support key innovative
developments.
Located just minutes away from France’s Charles de Gaulle
international airport, the Welding Technology Centre is ideally
located, making meetings, seminars and workshops accessible to
all.
Largest portfolio of specialised equipment
Today, Serimax has one of the largest portfolios of specialised
pipeline welding equipment in the world, consisting of over 500
dual head Saturnax range welding bugs, 135 pipe-facing machines
and 180 internal line-up clamps. The company offers welding
services and guarantees the highest possible quality.
Above all, Serimax has invested in the development of
knowledge through human resources, with a pool of over 60
welding engineers worldwide, technical experts in welding and
maintenance mobilised across the most challenging sites, and
experienced projects and operations managers to support the
delivery of our projects. All these resources have been at the heart
of the Internax project.
Its fleet can be used in a variety of different environments,
ranging from ultra deepwater and arctic offshore locations to
tropical or desert conditions. Serimax’s track record shows the
company has engineered and performed more automated welds –
including on corrosion resistance alloys – than its competition.
Over the past five years, Serimax has managed eight global
projects simultaneously each month and performed in excess of
187 675 welds annually with a repair rate of less than 2%.
The addition of Internax to this portfolio underlines the
company’s pursuit of innovation via ongoing R&D and how Serimax
thinks differently when looking at the solutions for clients whose
demands are constantly evolving.
Figure 2.
Serimax’s Internax.
80
World Pipelines
/
MARCH 2016
