Several hundred miles north of Samoa and located within the dependency of New Zealand lie three tropical coral Atolls. Comprised of dozens of small islands and a growing population the needs for secure disposal of medical waste has recently become a problem that needed solving. A sustainable and environmental approach is all the more essential due to the region’s natural beauty and fragile coral ecosystem.
At Addfield we are no strangers to remote installations such as this. Fully aware of the challenges that being so remote brings at the best of times. The initial order was placed in early 2020 when we were asked to provide three MP200 Medical waste incinerators to provide a solution to efficiently and cleanly dispose of this hazardous waste across the three Atolls.
The best way to install and commission these machines was already a discussion point before the impact of the Coronavirus and the impact on Global travel just a couple of months later.
The problem needed to be addressed and working closely with BIOMED Solutions based in Samoa who have been managing the project became essential. These machines are now installed across Atafu Atoll, Fakaofo Atoll, and Nukunonu Atoll.
This project marked the first Addfield incinerator installed in the region and the first sale to Tokelau, so it was already a cause for celebration. What was important was to make sure that the installation was able to proceed smoothly. As airports sat empty and no simple way to get our engineers out on site a new solution was needed.
So just how would we commission a new machine over 9000 miles away on remote islands without easy access for engineers to visit?
Fortunately for us, this project coincided with the completion of another. One that had been in the planning for some time and was published exactly, for this reason, to support remote installations as efficiently as possible.
Biomed solutions were one of the first customers to be able to access www.addfieldinternational.com our dedicated online training portal. Featuring dozens of video tutorials alongside installation manuals and essential checklists. This platform has been created to relieve the challenges of remote installation.
Even in the best of circumstances an installation such as this could take an engineer up to a week to complete when you include over two days of travel to and from the Atolls. Being extremely time-consuming let alone costly to our customers. The training platform was developed as an alternative for just such a project. Although training is regularly given to visitors to our factory in the UK it is still not always an option to customers such a distance away this was especially pertinent in 2020.
In the past, our engineers have been available for remote video calling and still are. Regularly supporting customers worldwide via WhatsApp and other conferencing tools. However, we have to make sure an engineer is available. And when you are in a time zone 12 hours different from us in the UK being able to speak to one is even more challenging.
This is the benefit of our dedicated training portal, it is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year as long as you have an internet connection you can logo on.
This system enabled our customers in Tokelau to train at their own pace, accessing a range of guided training videos, and essential paperwork. Internet-based means that they are accessible on virtually everything with an internet connection, PC’s, Laptops, Tablets, Smartphones, etc.
Delivering step by step sessions highlighting the key features of installing, commissioning, operating, and servicing the MP range of incinerators. The training is trackable to ensure that the team has watched the appropriate lessons to complete the activity.
The installation is now completed successfully the machines are now all up and running providing an invaluable service to the residents of the Atoll and our customers still have access to our training portal and our engineers.