John Crane Strengthens Australia Presence with the Opening of the Melbourne Dry Gas Seal Service Center
Capabilities include additional services of repairing, refurbishing and dynamic testing of dry gas seals
CHICAGO (April 30,2024) ― John Crane, a global leader in rotating equipment solutions, supplying engineered technologies and services to process industries, is pleased to announce the official inauguration of their new Melbourne Dry Gas Seal Service Center.
Building on the vast experience of our local workforce, John Crane has been an integral part of this community for 64 years. Located in the coastal capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, the Melbourne Dry Gas Seal Service Center equips the company with the resources to provide additional capabilities of repairing, refurbishing and dynamic testing of dry gas seals.
The Melbourne site provides centralized functions, including administration, engineering, centralized stocking and logistics, wet seal service, manufacturing, assembly and testing. The site supports all customers across the Oceania Region and the service center network in Perth, Western Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Gladstone, Queensland and Auckland, New Zealand.
Melbourne is one of the main transport hubs in Australia supporting freight by air, road and sea throughout Australia and beyond. Its location allows John Crane to efficiently serve clients throughout the Oceania region and beyond.
The Melbourne Dry Gas Seal Service Center is the first facility of its kind in Australia with the capability to refurbish and test dry gas seals. The service center is fully equipped, incorporating specialized equipment such as the dynamic test rig, seal head tester, pre-pressurization rig and precision inspection equipment. The site was additionally designed to accommodate a second dynamic test rig to support future expansion. John Crane’s capability and this new facility further support the growth of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) installed base, refineries and other markets. It also features dedicated facilities for customer witness testing.
"The opening of this service center will offer additional local support and valuable solutions to John Crane customers throughout Australia," said General Manager, Oceania, Craig Coulston. "We are committed to continuous investment in local capabilities and providing our customers with a higher level of technology and service differentiation. This newly added facility is a testament to the business growth and customer relationships we have established and allows us to support our long-term growth vision by continuing to invest in local infrastructure and talent."
In efforts to expand the site with a second test rig, the Melbourne Service Center offers additional capabilities, including:
- Customer training: The site has two dedicated training facilities located in Melbourne and Perth to facilitate customer product training and enable customers to maintain their equipment performance and reliability according to the latest industry standards.
- Enhanced efficiency: The construction of the new site provides additional space to reduce repair lead times and improve quality. The addition of new seal testing technologies will provide the highest level of support for customers.
- Fully equipped seal workshops: The workshops include seal repair with root cause analysis, assembly and testing facilities, engineered and metal bellows cartridge seals, and optional bonded stock for contractual repair needs.
- Seal installation and commissioning report: A dedicated service center lead and area sales manager will provide expert support for all customer needs. Service engineers will deliver 24/7 support, including the provision of plant surveys and reliability improvement support.
About John Crane
John Crane is a global leader in mission-critical technologies for the energy and process industries and an innovator in rotating equipment, encompassing mechanical seals, couplings, filtration systems and cutting-edge asset management and digital diagnostics solutions. Blending a rich legacy of innovation with a commitment to service excellence, we've enabled our customer’s reliable and sustainable operations for over a century. While recognizing the role of traditional energy, we are pioneering solutions that enable cleaner alternatives, crafting a vision for a sustainable energy future. Our extensive global presence underscores our promise to customers, with over 200 service centers in 50 countries. With £1 billion in revenues in 2023, we are an integral pillar of Smiths Group plc, a FTSE 100 listed company dedicated to improving our world through smarter engineering.