John Crane signs global agreement to enhance energy operator’s reliability and reduce downtime

John Crane has secured a multi-year Global Framework Agreement with an international energy firm to standardise seal management, improve operational uptime, and support long-term lifecycle optimisation across its global sites, reflecting a shift towards more predictable energy asset performance.

John Crane, the rotating‑equipment arm of FTSE‑100 engineer Smiths Group plc, has signed a multi‑year Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with a large international energy co...

mpany to standardise seal management and drive long‑term reliability across the operator’s global asset base, the company said.

According to John Crane’s announcement, the deal follows a successful Managed Reliability Programme (MRP) delivered at one of the operator’s flagship refineries, which the operator now regards as its best‑performing site for seal reliability. The MRP introduced uniform reliability methodologies, proactive failure‑prevention practices and tighter lifecycle governance, producing measurable performance gains that prompted the operator’s global leadership to pursue a broader, long‑term framework.

Under the GFA, John Crane will supply a range of sealing technologies and lifecycle services, including pump mechanical seals, compressor dry gas seals, seal support systems, reliability programmes, field service engineering, failure analysis and training, the company said. The agreement is designed to give the customer a single reliability model across participating sites, with benefits described as improved operational uptime; proactive prevention of failures; reduced supplier complexity; stronger compliance with international standards such as API; and more efficient long‑term planning through harmonised service delivery.

“Through this agreement, we will support the customer in building a unified, global reliability framework that reduces operational risk, improves uptime and ensures their critical rotating equipment performs predictably and efficiently,” John Crane’s Vice President, Commercial & Service, Philippe Lambert, said in the company statement.

John Crane and Smiths Group emphasised the regional relevance of the framework in markets such as the Middle East, where operators are prioritising asset reliability and efficiency. Smiths’ corporate materials note that John Crane already maintains an established presence across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with more than 200 service, sales and manufacturing centres in about 50 countries.

The framework sits alongside a sequence of recent John Crane contracts that underline the company’s growing role in both conventional hydrocarbon sites and energy‑transition projects. In 2024 the company was awarded a five‑year managed reliability contract at a major hydrocarbon processing complex in Alberta intended to extend the life of critical rotating equipment, and a separate five‑year gas‑seal maintenance programme in South Korea tied to planned plant turnarounds, Smiths said. John Crane has also supplied dry gas seals for large‑scale blue hydrogen and carbon‑management projects in the United States and announced a multi‑year dry gas seal repair contract with Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. in Kazakhstan, the company added.

Those contracts illustrate the dual commercial logic behind the GFA: operators seek both immediate uptime improvements and longer‑term lifecycle optimisation as they balance continuing hydrocarbon operations with emerging low‑carbon projects. John Crane has pointed to its installed base and local service networks, alongside decades of experience in CO2 sealing for CCUS applications, as competitive strengths. Bernard Cicut, President of John Crane, said in a separate Smiths release earlier this year: “Both these projects are testament to the strong relationship that we have with our OEM customers and reflect our rapidly growing energy transition portfolio.”

Industry observers say consistency of standards and consolidation of supplier relationships can materially reduce unplanned downtime on high‑criticality equipment. The operator’s stated aim to move from a focus on short‑term availability to long‑term reliability mirrors wider sector trends in which companies seek predictable performance across sprawling global estates. According to the company announcements, the GFA is intended to streamline supplier engagement while strengthening global reliability governance, creating scope for expanded dry gas seal support and broader lifecycle optimisation across multiple regions.

The agreement, announced by John Crane and echoed on Smiths Group communications, is presented as a strategic partnership built on prior on‑site results rather than a conventional supply contract. The company framed the relationship as delivering measurable reductions in operational risk through standardised methodologies and technical governance, while enabling the customer to plan maintenance and capital deployment with greater predictability.

Source: Noah Wire Services