10th May 2019
A global leader in the manufacture of hoses for the oil and gas industry underlined its commitment to costs and environmental concerns as it welcomed partners from around the world to a technical conference which included a tour of The Deep.
Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd, part of Continental AG, told delegates how they make high-tech hoses which are more durable and robust at their factory in Grimsby.
Jacques Berghorst, Sales and Marketing Manager at the Grimsby site, said: “The Tetney Monobuoy, which transfers crude oil from tankers in the Humber to refineries at Immingham, is the first in the world to use sensors developed by Dunlop Oil & Marine’s engineers to monitor location and behaviour of the hoses in the water.
“We had developed double carcass hoses in the 1970s as a safeguard against leaks and the newest technology is smart hoses. The future is about getting information about the hoses straight to your work station from a cloud-based portal, telling you how long it will be before the hose needs to be replaced.”
Dunlop Oil & Marine supplies around 40 per cent of the international market and is recognised as the leader in innovation.
Its 46th annual conference took place at the DoubleTree Forest Pines Resort near Scunthorpe and at The Deep, with more than 100 delegates from around 37 countries also visiting the Dunlop Oil & Marine site which has operated in Grimsby for more than 50 years and employs around 300 people.
Kam Zandiyeh, General Manager of Dunlop Oil & Marine, said: “Our guests include operators, suppliers, contractors, research institutes and potential future clients. It has become a forum where they can learn from us and among themselves, learning from best practice to improve the industry.
“It’s important that the quality of our product is absolutely right because if the hoses fail they could cause pollution. We have direct responsibility to improve the quality of the product and to offer solutions to contain the oil in the event of a leak.
“We decided to come to The Deep because it is a different experience for our guests and it is a good fit with the priorities of our industry.”
Jacques added: “The company wanted to try a different venue for the evening having held such events at Rise Hall and Normanby Hall in recent years.
“We decided to go for a completely different venue. We have about 300 people at our factory in Grimsby and many of them have been here before. Obviously, it has a strong marine connection and our guests were very impressed.”
Freya Cross, Business and Corporate Manager at The Deep, said: “This was an opportunity for us to demonstrate the quality of The Deep as a venue and the high levels of service which we offer as a team.
“By working closely with our clients at Dunlop Oil & Marine and by paying attention to detail we were again able to meet the needs of some very influential guests who expect the highest standards. It was particularly pleasing that a company based in Grimsby which was presenting a major conference near Scunthorpe selected us to host such an important part of the proceedings.”