Demand for Honeywell’s gas detection equipment in the Gulf is driven mainly by the oil and gas industry in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the company acknowledges.

“The oil and gas industry is certainly one of the biggest for gas detection equipment in the region. However, due to continued expansion in the infrastructure in the region, we are seeing increasing demand from utilities, water treatment, marine, construction and other heavy industries,” remarked Andrew Thompson, vice president and general manager for high-growth regions, Honeywell Industrial Safety, while speaking to Gulf Industry magazine.

The Gulf imports its gas detection products from any of Honeywell manufacturing facilities including those in the UK, Korea, China, Italy and Mexico.

Honeywell is a global leader in providing a wide range of advanced gas detection systems and devices. From low-end, compliance equipment to high-end, high-functionality devices and from smaller boiler rooms to large petrochemical plants and oil refineries, Honeywell products cater to a broad range of industries including oil and gas, construction, manufacturing and power and utilities.

The best-selling products in the region in 2015 were BW Clip and Searchpoint Optima Plus. These two and GasAlertMicrooChip were the company’s top three products globally that year.  

BW Clip is a maintenance-free, single-gas detector known to be the most reliable, user-friendly, cost-effective way of keeping workers safe and operations compliant.

Searchpoint Optima Plus is an infrared point hydrocarbon gas detector certified for use in potentially explosive atmospheres such as offshore oil and gas platforms, refineries, LNG/LPG bottling plants, etc.

GasAlertMicroClip is the world’s most popular multi-gas portable detector, delivering long runtime and reliability with plus features such as small size, low cost and the easiest user experience.

Touching on the marketing and distribution of Honeywell products in the region, Thompson said the company utilises a number of channels to achieve that end.

“A strong regional sales team works directly with customers and distribution partners to understand and meet their needs. Building strong relationships forms the basis of some of Honeywell’s success stories – from end users, customers and distribution partners to media, authorities and industry experts, he commented.

“Honeywell also works closely with other Honeywell business units to provide a comprehensive portfolio of solutions,”.

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, the global gas detection equipment market is forecast to reach $3.37 billion by 2022.

Discussing the key drivers for growth, Thompson said: “In addition to increased emphasis on operational safety, other factors driving the growing gas detection market include technological advancements, growing emerging markets and an increasing need for safety products across different industries. For example, Turkey is witnessing a rise in construction projects which demand efficient gas detection systems. Its automotive industry is also expanding, fuelling demands for better gas detection systems to protect workers who sometimes work in hazardous environments.

“Economic and industrial diversification is also shaping the gas detection market. For instance, power and utility companies are exploring opportunities in the solar and nuclear energy sectors. Manufacturing is also serving as a major thrust for economic diversification for industries in the Gulf.

“Furthermore, changes in safety regulations and increased general safety awareness are driving the need for gas detection products across the region.”

Thompson also touched on wireless gas detection equipment, saying it is among the leading sectors of the global gas detection equipment market.  “Wireless gas detection, where signals from portable gas detectors are relayed to a host computer, provides real-time safety intelligence, enabling customers to make fast, informed decisions and bringing a new level of safety and productivity,” he said.

“Honeywell has worked closely with partners to ensure customers see wireless technology not just as a safety solution, but also an enabler of a mobile and more productive workforce. Honeywell also sees this as an opportunity for business to be more agile with the ability to make critical decisions faster.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to help advance oil and gas safety and compliance, Honeywell introduced the first real-time wireless plant-wide gas detection safety system, ConneXt Safety Solutions.

The ConneXt Safety Solutions bring a new level of safety and productivity to industrial plants by providing remote notification of worker health and location. The solution delivers superior value through remote atmospheric monitoring, man-down and panic alarm notifications, and location information provided by wireless infrastructure or GPS. This data is easily viewable on the real-time monitoring software applications. Acting on this data could mean savings in terms of lost product and damaged assets; and could also prevent escalation into a major incident. – TradeArabia News Service