Furmanite Newsletter March 2004

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Consistency, Quality of Work Moves Furmanite to the Forefront as Refinery’s Go-to Vendor for Multiple Services The playoffs have arrived, and your team made it. However, you’re worried about their chances to make it any further because the team’s starting quarterback hasn’t been giving his best effort in quite a while. Meanwhile the backup quarterback - seasoned, but not being used to his full potential - is asking for a chance to prove himself. He knows that if he’s allowed to start just once, he’ll win the game and demonstrate he’s capable of taking the team all the way. Enter the team’s coach whose only concern is to win, and he’ll do it with the play- er that demonstrates the most drive, determination and talent. While most wouldn’t stop to think of the relationship between Furmanite and its valued client Flying J quite in those terms, it’s actually is a fairly accurate description of this client/vendor affiliation over the years. Throughout this year, Flying J’s North Salt Lake City refinery has awarded Furmanite extensive leak sealing business throughout the plant. This is after more than 15 years of serving as Flying J’s ‘backup quarterback’ - two or three repairs a year, provided their existing vendor was unavailable. Furmanite got its shot at the beginning of the year when the Company was called first for a particular job. Furmanite’s quality-of-work far surpassed the competition, and sufficiently impressed Flying J. The best just keeps getting better... Latest in Safety Valve Testing Technology Continues Long Tradition of Innovation The much anticipated ‘next-gen’ testing solution for safety and safety relief valves has finally arrived. And it’s no surprise to anyone that, once again, the innovator and leader in this critical testing and measurement field is Furmanite. For decades, companies around the world have relied on Furmanite, not only to provide superior testing services, but also to anticipate and respond to the industry’s ever-evolving needs and requirements. With the Trevitest™ Mark VIII, the best has just gotten better. The Trevitest is a diagnostic recorder created specifically for testing safety and safety relief valves in place and on line under normal operating pressure and temperature. But what makes this version unlike and superior to previous versions, as well as competitor offerings, is its ability to measure several types of phe- nomena to assist in the testing of safety and safety relief valves. Specifically, it’s able to measure pressure, lift or displacement, and sound via acoustic detection. It may be used in the testing of most steam, vapor, and liquid valves being manufactured today. Valve Testing 101 The basic principal behind testing safety and safety relief valves is this: a force is applied to the valve spindle by using a hydraulic powerjack linked to an electronic force transducer in order to overcome the spring tension of the valve. A recorder is then used to measure the force applied. In 2004, Furmanite will mark its 75th anniversary. That’s three- quarters of a century serving as the world’s first and largest industrial specialty mainte- nance service company; 75 years of being considered the worldwide expert in the field of on-site and on-line plant and pipeline maintenance. As with most corpo- rate anniversaries, Furmanite will not only celebrate the past, it will also use this milestone to look toward and plan for the future. In the coming year you will see some subtle, yet sig- nificant improvements in your Furmanite. The first of these many changes is with the publication and distribution of this newsletter - Uptime. Look for Uptime on a quarterly basis. Its purpose is to inform you about new products and service, as well as share success stories about our most valued clients. You’ll also read some very interesting articles about Furmanite’s anniversary, the history behind this indus- try, and our prolonged success. You may also notice that Furmanite’s getting a “new look.” From our marketing material, to our website, to our nationwide magazine advertising campaign, you’ll see a company that embraces its past; holds its pres- ent-day customer relationships in high regard; and sees a bright and promising future for our industry. I hope you enjoy this newsletter and look forward to upcoming issues. Thank you for your readership and business - yesterday, today and tomorrow. Sincerely, Jeff Chick CEO, Furmanite Volume 2, Issue 4 4th Quarter, 2003 Embrace the past; reach out to the future This story continues on page 2 This story continues on page 2 www.furmanite.com In This Issue: Trevitest Mark VIII Arrives..................................... 1 Furmanite and Flying J Partnership ..................... 1 US Navy Relies on Furmanite................................ 3 FEIP Technicians “Best of the Best” ................... 3 Furmanite Supports Nevada Power ..................... 4

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Furmanite newsletter - March 2004

Transcript of Furmanite Newsletter March 2004

Page 1: Furmanite Newsletter March 2004

Consistency, Quality of Work Moves Furmanite to theForefront as Refinery’s Go-to Vendor for Multiple ServicesThe playoffs have arrived, and your team made it. However, you’re worried about their chancesto make it any further because the team’s starting quarterback hasn’t been giving his best effortin quite a while. Meanwhile the backup quarterback - seasoned, but not being used to his fullpotential - is asking for a chance to prove himself. He knows that if he’s allowed to start just once,he’ll win the game and demonstrate he’s capable of taking the team all the way. Enter the team’scoach whose only concern is to win, and he’ll do it with the play-er that demonstrates the most drive, determination and talent.

While most wouldn’t stop to think of the relationshipbetween Furmanite and its valued client Flying J quite inthose terms, it’s actually is a fairly accurate description ofthis client/vendor affiliation over the years.

Throughout this year, Flying J’s North Salt Lake Cityrefinery has awarded Furmanite extensive leak sealingbusiness throughout the plant. This is after more than 15 yearsof serving as Flying J’s ‘backup quarterback’ - two or three repairs a year, provided their existingvendor was unavailable. Furmanite got its shot at the beginning of the year when the Companywas called first for a particular job. Furmanite’s quality-of-work far surpassed the competition, andsufficiently impressed Flying J.

The best just keeps getting better...Latest in Safety Valve TestingTechnology Continues LongTradition of InnovationThe much anticipated ‘next-gen’ testing solutionfor safety and safety relief valves has finally arrived. Andit’s no surprise to anyone that, once again, the innovatorand leader in this critical testing and measurement field isFurmanite. For decades, companies around the world have reliedon Furmanite, not only to provide superior testing services, but also to anticipate and respond tothe industry’s ever-evolving needs and requirements.

With the Trevitest™ Mark VIII, the best has just gotten better. The Trevitest is a diagnosticrecorder created specifically for testing safety and safety relief valves in place and on line undernormal operating pressure and temperature. But what makes this version unlike and superior toprevious versions, as well as competitor offerings, is its ability to measure several types of phe-nomena to assist in the testing of safety and safety relief valves. Specifically, it’s able to measurepressure, lift or displacement, and sound via acoustic detection. It may be used in the testing ofmost steam, vapor, and liquid valves being manufactured today.

Valve Testing 101

The basic principal behind testing safety and safety relief valves is this: a force is applied to thevalve spindle by using a hydraulic powerjack linked to an electronic force transducer in order toovercome the spring tension of the valve. A recorder is then used to measure the force applied.

In 2004, Furmanite will mark its75th anniversary. That’s three-quarters of a century servingas the world’s first and largestindustrial specialty mainte-nance service company; 75years of being considered the

worldwide expert in the field of on-site and on-lineplant and pipeline maintenance. As with most corpo-rate anniversaries, Furmanite will not only celebratethe past, it will also use this milestone to look towardand plan for the future.

In the coming year you will see some subtle, yet sig-nificant improvements in your Furmanite. The first ofthese many changes is with the publication anddistribution of this newsletter - Uptime. Look forUptime on a quarterly basis. Its purpose is to informyou about new products and service, as well as sharesuccess stories about our most valued clients. You’llalso read some very interesting articles aboutFurmanite’s anniversary, the history behind this indus-try, and our prolonged success.

You may also notice that Furmanite’s getting a “newlook.” From our marketing material, to our website, toour nationwide magazine advertising campaign, you’llsee a company that embraces its past; holds its pres-ent-day customer relationships in high regard; andsees a bright and promising future for our industry.I hope you enjoy this newsletter and look forward toupcoming issues.

Thank you for your readership and business -yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Jeff ChickCEO, Furmanite

Volume 2, Issue 44th Quarter, 2003

Embracethe past;reach outto the future

This story continues on page 2

This story continues on page 2

www.furmani te .com

In This Issue:Trevitest Mark VIII Arrives..................................... 1

Furmanite and Flying J Partnership ..................... 1

US Navy Relies on Furmanite................................ 3

FEIP Technicians “Best of the Best” ................... 3

Furmanite Supports Nevada Power..................... 4

Page 2: Furmanite Newsletter March 2004

COVER STORY: Trevitest Mark VIII - Continued from Page 1

By combining this data with information on the valve seat, as well asline pressure of the valve, it is then possible to assess the set pressure ofa particular valve. A regularly scheduled program for testing, removingand repairing valves is vital to a plant’s productivity.

When Furmanite customers perform this procedure to all system valvesprior to shutdown and turnaround, a tremendous cost and resource sav-ings will be realized. This is because only those valves identified priorto the shudown are removed for repair.

Building Upon the Best“Since 1975 Furmanite has developed and patented its measurementtechnology solutions,” says John Fain, Senior Engineer for Furmanite.“It is due to that long lineage of in-house innovation, as well as thecomplete confidence our customers have placed in us over the years,that allows Furmanite to offer a Safety Valve Repair Solution that isunmatched in quality, safety and cost-efficiency.”

The Trevitest Mark VIII has the ability to measure a valve’s spindledeflection (lift potentiometer) or valve discharge (acoustic detection), aswell as inlet pressure (pressure transducer). This is in addition to meas-uring the spring relaxation force (load cell) that had been available withprevious versions. In other words, Furmanite has engineered a state-of-the-art valve test solution that enables users to select critical measure-ments of force and line pressure with amazing precision and accuracy.

But just because Furmanite’s devel-oped a testing solution that isnotably more powerful and dynam-ic than anything else available onthe market, doesn’t mean ease-of-use and portability have been sacri-ficed. The Mark VIII’s lightweightand modular design considerablyenhances its ability to be usedunder variable plant conditions, aswell as to integrate with other spe-

cialty diagnostic equipment required in user-specific applications.

Primary modules of the Mark VIII are a removable laptop computer, asignal conditioner and high-speed data acquisition system, and aportable color printer. The product’s proprietary software allows for sim-plified collection and color reproduction of all calibrations and graphicaltraces of each valve tested. All of these enhancements enable Furmaniteto provide customers with the most comprehensive valve test diagnos-tic records available on the market today.

The Total Package“As part of Furmanite’s comprehensive valve repair solution, this new one-of-a-kind testing technology will enable our clients to recognize sizeable andimmediate benefits,” says Todd Sale, Director of Operations for Furmanite.“In addition, this product launch further solidifies us as the industry’s ‘go-to’ resource in the field of valve diagnostic testing and repair.”

Furmanite offers an end-to-end Safety Valve Repair Solution that incorpo-rates the Trevitest Mark VIII technology with superior repair and mainte-nance services. Whether on a daily or emergency basis, Furmanite’s highlytrained technicians are able to provide a quality and comprehensive solu-tion specifically engineered to meet each customers needs.

Over the last two months, the new Trevitest, as well as Furmanite’sSafety Valve Repair Solution has been implemented at various customersites and met with tremendous success. Please contact your regionalsales representative to hear first-hand how Furmanite has once again setnew levels of service and technical expertise in the field of testing andmeasurement. ■

COVER STORY: Flying J - Continued from Page 1

“Winning this business with Flying J was especially important to us

because it further proved our expertise in this repair arena, and we

were able to move to ‘the top of the list’,” said Jeff Wolf, Vice

President, Sales

and Marketing for

Furmanite. “In

addition, Flying J is

a well-respected

company both

within this indus-

try, and in the

Western United

States.”

Since that decisive moment last winter, Furmanite has continued to

provide superior leak sealing services. As a result of Furmanite’s

patented sealing compounds and highly trained technicians, Flying J

has significantly reduced the number of unplanned unit shutdowns it

experiences. It’s now able to make the majority of its repairs during

scheduled maintenance shutdowns.

“The Furmanite Seal has been invaluable in keeping our unit

up and operational,” said John Findlay, Maintenance Planner

at Flying J. “We were so favorably impressed with

Furmanite’s leak sealing capabilities that we wanted them to

demonstrate how they could aid us in other areas of the

refinery.”

In April, Furmanite received just such an opportunity when

Flying J asked the Company to perform some valve repair on

boilers within the plant. The quality of the work again

impressed Flying J and, as a result, the Company now per-

forms a significant portion of the refinery’s valve repair work. As often

as needed, but at least every six months, Furmanite uses its Trevitest™

technology to inspect and test the refinery’s valves - including relief,

process and boiler valves. Furmanite will then repair any faulty valves,

replace and subsequently retest the repaired valves. By taking advan-

tage of this ongoing solution, emergency situations are reduced, there-

by improving productivity and performance.

“We’re very pleased with the valve repair work Furmanite has performed-

to-date,” says Alex Bennett, Equipment Reliability Engineer at Flying J.

“Their technicians have proven themselves so capable in this area that

we’re also enlisting their help with our annual boiler inspections.”

After years of waiting on the sideline, Furmanite has become a ‘starter’

at Flying J. Once Furmanite was given that golden opportunity to go

head-to-head with the competition, it has done in just months what

can typically take years to develop. Specifically, the establishment of a

valuable customer relationship that is built - not on saving a few dol-

lars - but rather, quality. Quality materials and tools, technicians, and

responsiveness are what enable Furmanite to exceed all of Flying J’s

performance expectations. ■

The Furmanite Sealhas been invaluable in

keeping our unit upand operational.

John FindlayMaintenance Planner

Flying J”

Uptime from Furmanite

Page 3: Furmanite Newsletter March 2004

Furmanite FocusEngineering Team and FEIP Technicians - “Best of the Best”In a time of economic downturn, coupled with recordunemployment, high job turnover rates are usually just a fact ofdoing business. Furmanite, however, has not only retained some of thebest and brightest in the engineering and FEIP testing fields - for anaverage of seven years - it can also boast an exemplary client retentionrate in these same business lines - upwards of eight and nine years.This is your opportunity to gain a better understanding of two depart-ments, and some people within those groups, that are vital to the suc-cess of the company and are an integral part of any customer job, fromstart to finish.

Engineering – Behind-the-Scenes ExcellenceWhat do clients see when Furmanite is on the job?Of course they’ll see skilled technicians safely exe-cuting a variety of task, be it leak sealing, emissionstesting, machining, etc. But often what they don’t seeis the behind-the-scenes guidance, solutions devel-opment and expertise Furmanite’s EngineeringDepartment provides. When the engineers and tech-nicians work in tandem, what results is a seamlessjob executed at the highest quality standards.

“Furmanite’s Engineering Department consists of thebrightest minds and most respected engineers in thisindustry,” says Todd Sale, Director of Operations for Furmanite. “Ourcompany’s innovative solutions and impeccable quality record are duein large part to this group.”

Three of the most senior members of this team - Ed Hijazi, MichaelHenk and Billy Shaw - support the company’s leak sealing business line.Specifically, they assist technicians in two major areas, equipmentdesign and execution guidance.

All of the tools and hardware used for a project begin in the minds andthe lab of the Engineering Department. From clamps and valves, tosealants and coatings, it all begins at Furmanite’s LaPorte headquarters.In addition, this group has developed chemical safety equipment foronsite technicians. They also modify or design new equipment as nec-essary in order to ensure the highest safety levels are maintained.

But their involvement with a particular job doesn’t end when the equip-ment is made. This team is on call 24/7 for Furmanite’s 130 field tech-nicians and its clients. They provide step-by-step guidance throughout a

job’s duration, devise innovative solutions forunusual situations in real-time, and providejob updates directly to the client if needed.

FEIP Technicians - Making the GradeThe technicians that make up the FEIP(Fugitive Emissions Inspection Program)team are some of the best-trained emissionstesting professionals, not just in the United

States, but globally. This isbecause Furmanite’s FEIPtraining and advancementprograms are some of thebest in the industry.

“We really encourage ongoingtraining for our employees - it’sone of the defining factors that setus apart from our competition,” saysJeff O’Neil, Furmanite’s FEIP TechnicalManager. “In order for our FEIP employeesto advance, they must have a certain number of fieldhours and training, as well as pass tests encompass-ing all areas of emissions testing. Our technicians are

very willing to meet these qualifications because we have an outstand-ing incentive program, and they know that Furmanite really wants themto learn and grow within the company.”

This is a business line - and job - when education truly is a key forsuccess. These technicians are responsible for monitoring the airquality and emissions for Furmanite’s petrochemical, refinery andpharmaceutical clients. Sites can include onshore and offshore refiner-ies and natural gas plants - anywhere that volatile organic hazards or airpollutants may be present.

What makes emissions testing particularly unique is that a job is never‘done.’ Furmanite has several clients that require a technician 365 daysa year. And for the clients that only require services once a quarter oronce a year, the Company’s Quality Control Representative is constant-ly monitoring their Quality Assurance & Quality Control reports - oneless thing for those clients to worry about.

4th Quarter, 2003 • Volume 2, Issue 4

While the war in Iraq is considered ‘officially over,’ there’s still muchfor the U.S. military to do - on land and at sea. In order for the U.S.Navy to maintain one of its most critical components in the War onTerrorism - it’s remote communications system - this branch of the mil-itary looked to Furmanite to provide not only worldwide ongoingmachining services, but also the highest-quality precision equipment toget the job done.

For the last two years, Furmanite has been engaged via a governmentcontractor to apply its Critical Tolerance Application to pedestals onNavy battleships. These pedestals serve as the foundation for eachship’s communication satellite capturing antenna. Furmanite doesonsite precision milling of these pedestals each time the Navy needs toupgrade the signal antenna. The two machines Furmanite uses toaccomplish this are the Silk 48-96 and the Silk 6-30. The Silk machinesare mounted and leveled to the ship’s gyrocompass by NAVSEA Laser

Alignment Personnel. Once mounted, Furmanite technicians use theSilk equipment to level the antenna and mounting surfaces.

It’s vital for Furmanite’s component of the upgrade to be machined toan extremely tight tolerance. This is because the antenna must be levelto the ship’s gyroscope within a few thousands of an inch in order to beeffective. Any deviation to the antenna’s alignment could affect theship’s communication capabilities.

According to Jeff Wolf, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, thefact that Furmanite is consistently selected to perform this delicateand vital work can be directly attributed to the Company’s quality andefficiency. “Furmanite has proven to our contracting partner, as wellas the Navy, that we have the most qualified technicians in the industrythat are capable of doing the work faster and more efficiently thanthe competition.” ■

U.S. Navy Relies on Furmanite Expertise

This story continues on page 4

“We really encourageongoing training for ouremployees - it’s one of

the defining factors thatset us apart fromour competition.”

Jeff O’NeilFurmanite FEIP Technical Manager

Page 4: Furmanite Newsletter March 2004

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By Phone:800.444.5572

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Furmanite on the Internet:www.furmanite.com

Furmanite celebrates its 75th anniversary

Learn about our newcustomer service initiatives -

Continuous Improvement Program &Business Review Process

New offices open across the countryto better meet your needs

Furmanite provides valuable FEIP assistanceto Tesoro Petroleum

Uptime from Furmanite

Persistency Pays OffFurmanite Selectedas a Preferred Vendorfor Nevada PowerAfter a lengthy and very comprehensive RFPprocess in Q3, Furmanite’s persistency andhard work paid off - the Company was selected by the Nevada Power Company as a provider forseveral specialty industrial services. Furmanite may offer its services in the following areas: leaksealing, pipeline intervention, on-site machining, valve repair, concrete repair, and end-to-end per-formance monitoring and testing services. In addition, Furmanite will offer Nevada Power high-valued outsourcing services for preventative maintenance, as well as specialized engineering serv-ices through its Engineered Solutions Group.

“It’s an honor that Furmanite has been selected to provide our services and solutions to a com-pany with such high quality and safety standards,” said Todd Sale, Director of Operations forFurmanite. “In order for us to meet Nevada Power’s vendor requirements we had to prove ourtechnical superiority, unique capabilities, and the depth of our experience, as well as providenumerous references from clients in all our fields of expertise.”

Headquartered in Nevada, Sierra Pacific Resources is a holding company whose principal sub-sidiaries are Nevada Power Company, the electric utility for most of southern Nevada, and SierraPacific Power Company, the electric utility for most of northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe areaof California. ■

Furmanite Technicians – “Best of the Best “– Continued from Page 3

But when the year is over, the job still isn’t done because the technician’s work is monitored everyyear by the EPA.

So besides a focus on continuing education and professional growth, what sets Furmanite apartfrom the emissions testing competition? According to Jeff the difference is by consistently makingquality control paramount.

“We don’t set quotas or arbitrary deadlines,” says Jeff. “With the kind of work our technicians aredoing out there, absolutely nothing can go wrong. We want them to take as much time as theyneed to do the job right.”

It’s that commitment to quality and safety, coupled with the Company’s talented team, both outin the field and back at the home base, that has allowed Furmanite to earn the reputation of being‘the best of the best’. ■