Full Transcript for MDL Voices - Bringing Ingenious Instinct to Life

00:04:54.800 But I I must have been a pretty persuasive argument to get you to join NDL though. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:01.759 Well, I think like 10 years previous to that, I'd probably say like MDL were on the same path as that company in terms of where I was. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:10.319 And MDL seemed to like skyrocket, and this company seemed to kind of stay quite steady in terms of that aspect of the business. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:10.959 Okay. 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:19.360 And I always started to look up to NDL and go, wow, I wish I had equipment like that, or you know, I wish we could go and build equipment like that. 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:23.519 Um and then when I had the opportunity to join here, I was like, well, it's kind of a no-brainer. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:24.800 It's it's the top to be. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:29.360 In my mind, it was like, well, NDL are the top company in the world to do this type of stuff. 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:33.439 So if they want me to join, then I would love to join MDL. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:35.199 But that sounds pretty special. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:37.199 You know, that's a that's a that's a good story. 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:43.120 That's a good professional story that you know you admired the company before you joined it, and now here you are. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:48.160 And I appreciate what you say about you know, engineering being in genes, almost your destiny, so to speak. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:54.959 But you wouldn't still be in a senior engineering role if you weren't actually there was a passion inside you for engineering. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:56.000 Yeah, definitely. 00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:01.519 I mean, my my career kind of started off as a graduate and then I became a design team leader. 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:05.439 So I was actually designing the equipment and from a structural mechanical point of view. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:14.800 At that point in my career, I was you know, I was loving the fact that I could I could teach other people or at least get a team together to go and create some new new equipment. 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:16.160 So that was very exciting. 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:18.800 And it was the same draw that team did to to NDL. 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:23.519 I thought, well, if I've got that that background knowledge and that um passion for it. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:24.560 That's a great story. 00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:25.360 I love that. 00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:28.000 So where do the ideas come from? 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:32.000 Andrew, first of all, you know, bringing new innovation to the market for MDL. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:36.560 Yeah, no, we just understand what the um the what the challenges are. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:37.920 You always start with the challenge. 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:44.879 I love just coming up with uh solutions and different ideas, uh brainstorming. 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:48.160 Um I've been running an innovation forum in the company. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:49.680 Who's all involved in that? 00:06:49.920 --> 00:07:04.879 So we bring people from different backgrounds, uh, but certainly those who've got the design experience, um, we've got the operational experience um and also from from sales and uh a really good mix. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:11.199 And yeah, we present those challenges that that clients have and uh we brainstorm them. 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:25.839 And innovation is not just about coming up with technology for technology's sake, it can be about taking existing proven solutions and adapting them or optimizing them and applying that in a different way in order to come up with the right solution. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:39.120 So it's all about integration, optimization, and that opens up the possibility of not using uh dedicated vessels for installing um flexible product or retrieving the flexible product. 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:53.360 It could be for um other uses, and we've been able to adapt that back deck so um we're vessel agnostic uh in our approach, and that can open up all sorts of possibilities. 00:07:53.920 --> 00:08:04.560 I don't think we can really go much further without mentioning MDL receiving its uh most recent, it's third Queen's Now Kings award. 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:08.560 But this one it was a first in innovation. 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:11.600 Now, first of all, congratulations, that's incredible. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:15.759 What a reflection on your your work and your dedication. 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:18.079 That's that's a big deal. 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:22.319 I think everybody in the business is proud to receive that award. 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:29.759 Um you know, it's it's it's for the wheeled HLS, which we designed and built a number of years ago. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.679 They actually built another one um just over a year ago. 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:44.559 And I think for everybody who's involved in that project, the the more recent one, you know, what what a ride that was actually getting that built, what a hard work and effort went into that. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:48.399 And I guess on the engineering side, it's more your side of things. 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:51.120 My side at the time was actually building that. 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:56.559 Um so to finish that project was great and then deploy that on a project was was was awesome. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:57.039 Yeah. 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:01.039 Just being involved in that is is a great sense of achievement. 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:08.320 And just you know, what has brought us to TMDL is as Mike said, is that passion for engineering, a passion for innovation. 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:13.039 And it's one thing doing the design, but to see that come to fruition is is amazing. 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.159 So to get an award for it as well is fantastic. 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:17.840 It's a great sense of achievement. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:42.960 So we're we can't

underestimate the hard work that's involved in in you know winning this award, but really just bringing any new concept from a design on a drawing board into reality, you know, the time scales, the amount of people that's required, the dedication, you know, what is I know you we we can't there's there's no set formula, but what does that look like here at at MDL? 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:45.120 What's the what's the the process? 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:47.919 You know, as I said, it we start with the product. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:59.279 Um so in this case, um it was taken taking a step away from the traditional way of using uh lay systems and coming up with a more innovative way of doing that. 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:05.120 Um the challenge in this particular case was uh retrieval of product in deep water. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:21.039 Um when you're recovering product uh in the traditional sense, uh you're doing it with a static uh overboarding chute, and when you're retrieving that, you have the contact of the product with the chute, and that produces friction, and what you get is called the capstan effect. 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:26.799 So we had to come up with that uh idea, that innovation, how can we reduce that friction? 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:29.840 How can we have an optimized piece of equipment to do that? 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:33.360 And that's where the the wheeled HLS came into being. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:37.440 So it's all about brainstorming, taking that technical readiness level. 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:41.519 Uh, and once uh we've got that, we then move to the the concept level. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:52.240 So we're getting the design team involved, the the drafting team and uh the uh discipline engineers, um, and from there you can get into to detailed design. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:59.120 It's a large undertaking and has multiple people from across the business and different disciplines involved. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.960 Um, but uh it's it's an enjoyable journey, it's exciting. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:11.840 I'll ask Mike specifically, how do you see um technology changing the future of say mechanical handling? 00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:21.919 I guess for me, like technology and what we do in the back deck is is really developing how we monitor and view what we're doing offshore. 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:32.080 So, you know, we're sitting in a control room just now, and this is like a great example of us wanting to have eyes on the equipment at all times. 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:45.759 Um, so we've got you know live feeds coming back to the beach, um, so we can have technical experts in this room helping people offshore if there's an issue or even just to oversee what's going on from a training point of view. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:49.840 Um, a lot of activity happens offshore that people don't get to see onshore. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:53.519 So this is a great room for people to come in and actually just witness what we're doing. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:12:02.240 But we've also got data feeds coming back from our equipment as well, so we can actually go and see what's physically happening with machine internals and during a project. 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:09.200 So for me, like the the the big the biggest thing is having having live contact with equipment and with people offshore. 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:12.639 And we've also got these VR hedge sets that people can wear offshore as well. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:27.200 So again, if we're going out to do an equipment inspection or if we just need to, you know, open something up and try and fix something, you can have a guy here who's you know an expert telling somebody offshore what what to do. 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:28.080 That's the main thing. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:30.080 That sounds quite fun for engineers. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:32.399 It's it's pretty it's it's cool, yeah. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.039 It is it's cool. 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:39.759 You know, we've spent a lot of money and and time to try and get all this set up properly. 00:12:40.559 --> 00:12:44.720 But it it's not just cool, it's it's like there's actual benefits to it as well. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:50.320 You know, we can save time, we can we can um make sure that everything's always up and running at all times. 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:59.679 And when you were both studying engineering and coming into the industry, did you think you would be involved in something like this with VR headsets and digitalization? 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:05.600 I mean, you've been at the forefront of bringing this to MDL, but did you think back then? 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:06.720 You dream about it. 00:13:06.799 --> 00:13:10.720 Um but to see it come to fruition, it's yeah, it's fantastic. 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:20.480 Um, I mean, even the the workstations that we have here, um, the same company supplies for mission control for uh space, space travel. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:28.480 Well it's a bit of a step, it's like a childhood dream closer to that that reality on in terms of um that yeah control room. 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:30.960 So yeah, to be filming this in here is is fantastic. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:35.679 Both strike me also as very hands-on, you're both very hands-on things. 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:47.840 Love coming in here as Mike said, that um if there's a live operation and there's been some um uh some remote support that was done for clients, particularly for uh equipment that we've sold. 00:13:47.919 --> 00:14:02.240 And I came in here and one of our team leads uh was here and he was explaining what was going on, and you know, as close as you can get to the back deck uh of a vessel without actually being on the vessel was was very, very similar. 00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:09.440 So it was fantastic to um just to get that experience um and exposure and be able to learn from that. 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.000 Uh so it's a great educational tool as well.

00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:15.279 I'm just gonna say I'm not gonna take any credit for this at all. 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:16.559 Why not? 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:20.399 Because I you you say we look like very hands-on people. 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:26.159 I probably am in terms of you know getting physical with equipment and trying to fix things. 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:31.279 Um I guess doing things of the computers like designing and drafting, that type of stuff. 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.480 Uh I'm not I'm not a tech savvy person at all. 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:40.399 So like I'm clinging on for dear life most of the time when we're trying to develop all these new things, but trying to learn at the same time. 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:44.480 You you on the other hand are like straight in there, you know, developing most of the things. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:45.600 You play to your strengths. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:49.200 Yes, yes, I would say so, but I won't pretend I can do something when I can't. 00:14:49.360 --> 00:15:01.600 So um, but it's it's really interesting from my point of view because I'm kind of involved in the discussions and what we want to do going forward, or like, you know, I've got to try and implement it with my team to to help you guys do what you're developing. 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.159 Um, but I'm not I'm not a tech savvy person. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:04.960 Put it that way. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:05.919 Yeah. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:14.399 So NDL clearly has a very uh long operating lifespan and engineering does not stand still. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:32.799 How do you see the looking just into the future, not too far into the future, just you know the immediate future, how you continue to evolve your roles but support your your customers and clients uh with their ever increasing challenges, unique, differing challenges? 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:40.080 Um so from traditionally what I've been involved in is sub-sea cable insulation retrieval. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:16:13.279 Um, but it's not just sub-seed umbilicals, rises and flow lines, it's power cables, it's fibre optic cables, it's thermoplastic composite pipe, it's wire rope, um, it's it's rigid pipe, it's it's a number of different um mediums, and they don't just exist within oil and gas uh and renewables, there's there's other sectors as well that needs equipment in order to handle these flexible and delicate products, um, whether it be in shallow water or deep water, we've got such a comprehensive, wide-ranging equipment capability already. 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:14.960 Uh so why stop at that? 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:26.480 Why not start innovating for for other um industries or how industries evolve and as we see that transition to uh more into renewables, particularly for floating offshore wind? 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:33.039 Cable insulation for power cables, for fibre optic cables is only going to increase um significantly, exponentially. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:38.240 Uh so we don't just need the volume, we need to be able to do that at scale. 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:40.639 Uh, so how we can innovate our own equipment. 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:46.240 Um, so being involved in those kind of projects is fantastic and uh and yeah, seeing that evolve. 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:47.519 A busy future ahead. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:47.919 Thank you. 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:53.919 I've really enjoyed speaking to you both and congratulations once again on an award. 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:55.120 That's uh thank you. 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:56.639 That's a significant achievement. 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.120 Thank you very much for listening today. 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:05.759 Uh, if you want to find out more information, you can find it online at maritimedevelopments.com. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.240 Uh, on the website, among other things, you can read with case studies and products and services from MDL. 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:20.000 And if you want to find out more, as you can see, the team are always keen to speak about their roles and uh the company offering. 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:30.319 So don't hesitate to reach out either through the website or directly through social media or however you choose to communicate, uh, you'll always find a friendly person to speak to you on the other end. 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:34.720 So thank you very much for joining us for this episode of MDL Voices.