IR 4.0 and Localization
New Mechanical Shops hub opens for business in Ju’aymah
With the new facility, Aramco now has Fourth Industrial Revolution tools to move beyond repair toward the localization of design and manufacture of precision equipment and spare parts.
For more than 80 years, Aramco’s talented maintenance professionals have shown their prowess in repairing equipment to keep company facilities producing oil and gas.
With the inauguration of a new Mechanical Services Shops Department (MSSD) facility in Ju’aymah, Aramco now has the Fourth Industrial Revolution tools to move beyond repair toward the localization of design and manufacture of precision equipment and spare parts that will keep company facilities operating safely, reliably, and efficiently.
The project was made possible with the patronage of Nabeel A. Al-Jama’, senior vice president of Human Resources and Corporate Services.
Cutting-edge technology
Executives and senior management were hosted during the inauguration by Fahad M. Al-AbdulKareem, executive director of Industrial Services, and welcomed to the new facilities by Saad I. Al-Shamrani, acting manager of MSSD. Attendees included, among others, Al-Jama’, Nabil K. Al-Dabal, vice president of Human Resources, Suleiman A. Al-Bargan, vice president of Global Manufacturing, and Faisal A. Al-Hajji, executive director of Community Services.
“This inauguration marks a major milestone in utilizing cutting-edge technology that takes Aramco equipment repair to a higher level,” said Al-AbdulKareem.
A dream come true
“This new facility is a dream come true,” said Al-Shamrani. “It helps us to achieve our strategic goal to be the best-in-class service provider for innovative and value-added mechanical services and equipment repair solutions.”
Before the tour began, executives visited the MSSD Pulse Center, which monitors MSSD’s work for over 70 customers across the company and offers a dashboard providing live analysis of each job’s status, along with cost, turnaround time, and customer satisfaction. It enables MSSD to proactively plan job distribution and execution to enhance customer experience.
Reverse engineering brilliance
The centerpiece of the operation is the Reverse Engineering Center (REC), where damaged parts are brought in to be evaluated, 3-D scanned, tested, and mapped out through CAD design software. Many of these parts come from obsolete equipment, but this is no obstacle for the REC. Parts can be sent to the shop floor to be manufactured in-house, saving the company time and money while maintaining high standards of quality assurance and safety.
In 2020, MSSD was able to manufacture 487 components for 28 organizations for a total cost savings of $21.1 million.
The 9,500-m² shop floor has some of the most advanced manufacturing tools in the world, including an abrasive waterjet machine, a five-axis milling machine, a motor-testing system, and a smart transporter.
In alignment with the company’s support for localization, the facility also allows the company to increase the amount of local content that the Kingdom produces, rather than importing it from abroad.
TOP PHOTO CAPTION:
Technicians Chris D. Nablo (left) and Sajjad A. Alzayer from the Mechanical Services Shops Department in Ju’aymah are machining the bearing seal in preparation for alignment and repair of a load gear box, using a new Computer Numerical Control Horizontal Boring machine.