KOR Equipment Solutions is backing Australian-first robotics to make industrial cleaning and excavation both safer and more efficient.
The use of robotics to enhance industrial vacuum recovery and ultra-high pressure water blasting has been in practise for decades in Europe, but only now has a company brought the method down under.
After conducting its own extensive research procedures, KOR is now the exclusive distributor in Australia and New Zealand of Gerotto remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) and Falch’s robotic water jetting equipment.
The Gerotto range includes the Lombrico S, a hydraulic, remotely operated robot specifically designed for vacuuming any type of material found in high-risk confined spaces such as inside refineries, steel plants, tank terminals, biogas plants, and industrial plants.
The Falch range includes the Surface Rob 250 that is a high-pressure universal water jetting robot, the Frame Rob 250 that is a fully automatic water jetting unit, and the Multi Worker 250 that is a semi-automated water jetting unit.
What really sets Falch apart from others is its commitment to continuous pump development, having an extensive accessory range, and the investment made in robotic solutions which ensures superior machine performance, improved safety, and environmental responsibility.
KOR’s Head of Product and Commercial, Tim McGregor said it is surprising the products weren’t introduced sooner, as the robotics equipment provides new ways to solve the issues of safety, time constraints, and staffing.
“Traditional methods typically involve having multiple people operating hands on at the source of the material,” he said.
“Whether they’re vacuum loading or high-pressure water jetting or ultra-high pressure water jetting, they’re effectively required to put themselves in harm’s way.
“For the first time in our industry, these robotics give the opportunity to remove the operator out of harm’s way. Instead of an operator needing to hold onto a vacuum hose which is very labor intensive, very difficult, and when in a very high-risk environment can be quite dangerous, it allows them to be removed up to 100m away.
“Instead of having the potential risk of injury, lower productivity and operator fatigue, the robot can work 24/7, preventing operator fatigue and operational issues, and allowing remote use of equipment for longer periods of time, with typically less people needed on the site.”
While the benefits are clear to see, robotics have previously not been explored as an option for industrial vacuum recovery, which to McGregor, given the climates in Australia, is puzzling.
“A shutdown project may take up to 15 people into dangerous hot and remote environments … so to be able to go from this number, to less than half with the use of a Gerotto robot, makes it significantly easier,” McGregor said.
“In Europe, the robot that we have for vacuum loading and high-pressure water jetting has been the standard operation for decades, but until now they have not been adopted in Australia.
“We are showcasing this industry change for the first time as it allows operators to be out of high-risk environments that, until now, has never been known to be achievable. This is mainly because this type of equipment has never existed in our region and even if people have known about it, they haven’t properly understood. So up until now it has just been too difficult for the industry to adopt.”
He said a shift in the workforce, where younger generations appear less likely to work in high-risk environments, led KOR sourcing safer work methods with robotic solutions which will assist growing industry appeal.
McGregor said the early adopters have been more than satisfied to what is a major change in their operations.
“Everyone’s been extremely receptive, whether it’s been through demonstrations in Australia and New Zealand or when a number of prospective customers come with us to visit the manufacturers in Europe” he said.
“The response has been a light bulb moment for people when they first understand the capability and equipment and the safety it can provide, and particularly around removing the need for mass labor on certain projects, because not only can it make it safer, but it can also simplify management by as it reduces the amount of operators.
“Customers who have purchased the equipment have very quickly seen the benefits operationally and talking with us about future purchases for additional work … But it is confronting for some customers to understand how their business can transition from operators holding equipment in high-risk environments, to removing themselves and operating outside that high-risk environment therefore conducting projects in a safer way, but in a different operational format with not having someone right at the source.”
For more information, visit KOR.com.au
This article was featured in the April edition of Trenchless Australasia.
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