1. Time savings Time savings
26 27ISSUE 17 www.eriks.co.uk/knowhow
Hoses aren’t a problem until they’re a
problem. But then, whether it’s a minor
leak in a water hose or a major burst in a
hose carrying dangerous chemicals, the
consequences can range from extended
downtime to employee injury, or anything
in between. And once something goes
wrong, the difficulties are only beginning.
For example, when a failed hose needs
replacing, it often turns out there’s no
inhouse documentation or knowledge of
what type of hose needs to be specified
– depending on the temperatures it has
to cope with, the pressure of the media
flowing through it, the size and the
flow rate required. That’s bad enough if
you’re specifying a hose to carry a low-
temperature fluid or air, but could be fatal if
you’re transporting a corrosive chemical or
high-pressure steam.
On the other hand, the maintenance
engineer who decides to be proactive,
and not wait for an accident to happen, will
often find that there is little or no inhouse
documentation or knowledge of when hoses
were last tested or replaced. So it’s impossible
to identify which hoses are due for replacing,
never mind what hose to specify.
Of course there’s always some supplier who
will tell you the hose you need and provide
one which will do the job – more or less.
But how much time do you waste by going
through that process every time there’s a
hose failure; how much can you depend on
the supplier’s knowledge; and can you rely
on the quality of the hose they supply?
It’s to overcome all these
time-wasting difficulties and
eliminate all the uncertainties,
that ERIKS is developing
National Hose Databases for
individual hose customers.
Everything you ever wanted to
know about hoses…but no-one
bothered to record. That’s the amount of
information which ERIKS will collate into a
National Hose Database for any customer
who requires it.
From the full hose specification to the in
date, out date, due date of next test and
result of previous test, the National Hose
Database makes all essential information
easy to find online, 24/7. In addition, a traffic
light system highlights any hose which has
failed a test or is overdue for testing, so
it’s easy to see which hoses need urgent
attention. If there’s a recommendation that
a hose should be replaced within the next
six months – even if it has passed its most
recent test – this can also be recorded.
Lastly, if proof of testing is required for
Health and Safety or other purposes, the
database will enable a hose test certificate
to be printed directly from the site.
Straight from the hose’s mouth
To ensure the ERIKS National Hose
Database is as effective as possible, it does
not rely on second-hand information about
the hoses at a customer’s facility. Instead, it
is based on the most up-to-date information,
collected and collated by ERIKS’ own hose
experts during a site visit.
This takes the form of a walk-around
survey of the hoses on site, during which
all hoses are inspected, identified, and – if
they have not already been – tagged for
easy identification in the future. The ERIKS’
survey results can also be cross-checked with
any existing client hose register, before the
customer’s hose specifications, test results
and testing calendar are uploaded to the
ERIKS National Hose Database, as a one-
stop, always accessible, definitive record.
Once the database has been set-up,
ERIKS will also establish a testing regime
at a frequency agreed with the customer
– whether this is every six months or just
once a year, depending on the type of
hose, types of media carried and so on. The
uniquely comprehensive tests, carried out
by experienced ERIKS hose experts – can
include pressure testing with water, nitrogen
or air, and internal inspections with cameras.
A hose by any other name…
ERIKS is the largest hose supplier in
Europe, holding £9m of high-quality hose
stock in the UK and €16m in Holland, and
is the only hose supplier able to supply any
hose a customer may require. This means
most hose orders can be fulfilled and
dispatched by courier on the same day
as they are placed.
ERIKS supplies only the highest-quality
hoses, and also manufactures hoses and
supplies all necessary ancillary components.
Inferior and cheaper hoses are readily
available from other suppliers, but only
ERIKS can supply all the hoses you may
require, and of a standard you can depend
on for safety and long life.
It is this comprehensive offering which
has recently led a major multi-site UK
chemical manufacturer to establish a
National Hose Database with ERIKS, and
to become an ERIKS customer for steam,
air, chemical, water, powder, soap and water,
low temperature, high temperature and
cryogenic hoses for all its ten UK sites.
They realise there’s more to a hose than just
a length of pipe, and there’s more to a good
hose supplier than just the hoses they supply.
How long
is a piece
of hose?
How long is a problem with a piece of hose going to hold up your process?
A few minutes? A few hours? A few days? It all depends on the nature of
the problem, the type of hose, the knowledge available in-house, and the
availability of a suitable replacement. But by establishing a National Hose
Database for customers, ERIKS aims to cut hose problems and resulting
downtime to the minimum. Carl Lilley FCMI
CCC Manager
ERIKS Hose Technology
The uniquely
comprehensive
tests, carried out by
experienced ERIKS
hose experts, can
include pressure
testing with water,
nitrogen or air, and
internal inspections
with cameras.