Big breakthrough for vibration measuring with INFRA in Norway
There is a lot of blasting taking place in Norway – a country well known for its mountainous terrain. It calls for the most efficient methods for measuring vibration and all four of the leading blasting consultants use Sigicom’s INFRA-series for measurement. Nexconsult AS has been using the system the longest. Jan Mehren, CEO, has used INFRA-equipment ever since the company’s founding in 2008.
The INFRA-system has helped him to rapidly increase the company’s turnover. He has purchased 70 INFRA vibration meters that are used intensively – usually for short-term measurement projects. Customers include small and large construction companies, and the National Road and Rail Administration. In addition, he handles data reporting of some 30 instruments sold to customers in Norway.
Impressive remote operation
“My field of work is all over Norway, but I seldom need to leave the Oslo area, where I have my office. The equipment is sent by post to other parts of the country and assembled by the customers themselves,” says Jan. When customers begin measuring, Jan can see the information directly on his computer monitor if the instruments were installed correctly. He can also see if the batteries are discharging, or if the GSM coverage at the measurement site is not enough to provide direct reporting to the blast manager’s mobile phone after each blast.
Revolutionary reporting system
All data is collected in a database on the Internet. No longer are transcripts or transmitters needed at the measurement site. “Data reporting to the customer is the main point of the INFRA system,” emphasizes Jan. “Five minutes after a measurement I can download all measurement data from the server and with a few keystrokes send the test report on-line from my PC to the client. This can take place from my office or from anywhere in the world, as long as
there is an Internet connection.” Thanks to the radically simplified handling of equipment and the fact that all reading and data transfer takes place automatically, Jan can devote more of his time to his lucrative area of expertise as a blasting consultant. INFRA-equipment also plays an important role in that aspect of the business. Minutes after a blast salvo, for example on the Faroe Islands in the Atlantic, he can go through the vibration readings at home on the PC screen and discuss the outcome with the customer at the blasting site and advise on the design of the next blast.