At RAM Technology Group, employees get the message concerning adherence to customer safety, budget and schedule expectations. At RAM, safety and service are the company’s top priorities and will be met each day.

“RAM Technology Group has in place the senior management, infrastructure, project management, supervision and skilled craftsmen to ensure our projects will at all times be conducted with strict adherence to RAM and our customers’ policies and procedures,” VP Operations Michael Lutz said. “Service begins with understanding and then meeting our customers’ expectations. We at RAM spend a lot of time in front of our customers listening. We believe in developing people-to-people relationships, not business-to-business. This is why we have been successful in the past, and this will ensure our future.”

To make sure the company is performing at its very best, RAM conducts a post-project analysis on site with the customer to make sure all needs were met for the project and that RAM employees performed the job as promised. This provides RAM with valued customer input and feedback that continues to make the group a competitor to watch in the marketplace.
   
Safe work practices = customer satisfaction

While providing quality service is important, RAM Technology Group also knows the value of providing safe work practices. For the past seven years, RAM has had an OSHA recordable rating of 0.0, and the company’s Experience Modification Rating continues to fall.

“Ensuring safe work practices and adherence to both ours and the customers’ safety policies and procedures has always been, and will continue to be, RAM Technology Group’s top priority,” Corporate Safety Director Sonny Delgado said.

With more than 17 years of expertise in turnaround/shutdown environments, Delgado makes sure the company is going above and beyond the minimum safety requirements in industry.

“Meeting or exceeding our customers’ safety expectations is the goal that ensures a team approach and the creation of mutually beneficial long-term business and personal relationships,” he said.

According to Delgado, RAM Tray Service and RAM Piping and Fabrication initiates safety adherence at the estimating/bid stage of every project.

“A site/project specific risk assessment will be completed and reviewed by the estimating team, which includes the project coordinator, field superintendents, safety director and the vice president of operations before being sent to the customer,” he said. “After all parties have reviewed and agreed on the execution methods and context of the assessment, RAM supervisors and safety personnel discuss all project-specific tasks and related hazards with the assigned work force prior to mobilizing.”

Once on site, Delgado said the work force is equipped with the knowledge, understanding and expertise to execute the project as planned. The plan is promoted at every shift through job safety analyses (JSAs) with input from RAM craftsmen. RAM Technology Group supervisors review the JSAs with their crews prior to being assigned their tasks. Daily safety audits performed by the assigned RAM supervision and a project specific safety award program also promote “thinking” safety on an hourly basis.

In addition, RAM Technology Group requires all employees assigned to its specialty divisions to complete a 21-point safety development plan that is designed by the company and provides information on general safety rules, regulations, practices and safety values. This training presents relative material for executing projects safely and extensively covers OSHA standards from 29 CFR 1910 General Industry Regulations to 29 CFR 1926 Construction Industry Regulations.

“At RAM, we encourage our craftsmen to ask safety questions on the process or equipment being utilized,” Delgado said. “Our response to their concerns promotes and ensures safety.

“At RAM, we choose to be safe. We instill in ourselves, our families and our fellow workers that adhering to safe work practices is a responsibility to each other.”

RAM Technology Group also knows the value its customers place on safety.

“Our clients are truly pioneers when it comes to safety,” Delgado said. “They are constantly educating themselves and developing innovative technology to protect the work force and our communities, and they share that knowledge with all.

“Our challenge at RAM is to always be in the mind set of improvement and implication. Our clients are like us. We are people caring about people. They and RAM will not accept an environment where injuries are looked at or tolerated as a part of doing business in a high-risk industry.”

With a commitment to safety and customer satisfaction, RAM Technology Group has been able to build strong relationships with its clients who have used the company for a variety of industrial projects.

‘Nothing gets put on hold for too long …’
 
For the past two years, a project manager for a flow equipment provider has called on RAM Tray for a number of gas, demisting and coalescer projects as well as a number of basic vessel internals. Recently, the company called on RAM Tray to perform work on a TEG contractor tower dehydration unit and to handle all internals inside the system.

According to the project manager, working with RAM Tray has allowed him to meet deadlines and stay on budget, a major plus for any project.

“Even when RAM Tray is very busy, they still give you the customer service you need, and they are willing to take the time to sort out issues quickly,” he said. “Nothing gets put on hold for too long over there, which is pretty effective for me because I’m on a lot of tight deadlines.”

The project manager has also enjoyed utilizing RAM Tray’s design staff.

“RAM Tray is one of the only companies that makes the biggest effort at trying to come up with better ideas,” he said. “Prior to discussing the project face-to-face, RAM Tray will take the time to figure out various options on how they can design their internals to accommodate my vessel design.”

Since working with RAM Tray, the project manager is confident in the company’s ability to perform good work and said he would highly recommend the company to others.

“If you are looking for a low-price, high-quality internal supplier for your standard internals, then I would say that RAM Tray is the ‘go-to’ company for that,” he said.   
   
Knowledgeable with a strong, safe work ethic

J.E. Bailey, senior equipment inspector at DCP Midstream, has worked with RAM Tray on a multitude of shutdown/repair situations.

“RAM Tray continues to be responsive to meet needs to return equipment and/or the facility back to service by providing personnel and materials for ASME Code repairs, replacement of tower internals and expeditious replacement of mist eliminators,” he said. “With their desire to meet customer needs while providing an efficient and safe performance, RAM Tray can be counted on when time and operability are most critical.”

RAM Tray has also performed vessel inspections at DCP Midstream’s Beaumont, Texas, facility.

“All RAM Tray employees were very well prepared for the vessel isolation and vessel entries,” Ruben Olvera, plant supervisor, said. “The repairs to the amine flash drum were done in a very timely manner.

“RAM Tray was very instrumental in finishing up the job on schedule. We were also very impressed in the way that their employees were all properly trained, which allowed us to have just one contractor to complete the job.”

RAM Tray also performed dehydrator repairs and a mole sieve change out at DCP Midstream’s Port Arthur, Texas, facility.

“We had other repairs come up during the shutdown, but RAM Tray was able to handle them and still make our deadline,” Olvera said.
   
Meeting needs when projects change

When a large Texas refinery needed to take out the double pass trays and put in single pass trays on its distallation tower, the facility turned to RAM Tray. Although the job scope changed several times during the course of the project, RAM Tray’s personnel were able to adapt each time.

“We changed the scope of work about every other day, and the guys at RAM Tray were very willing to work with me,” the refinery’s project manager said. “They got the job done.

“The people at RAM Tray really do try to get your job done with as little pain as possible.”

Pleased with the outcome of the project and RAM Tray’s performance, the project manager wrote a note of thanks to the
company.

“I wanted to commend you and your organization for an outstanding effort in coordinating and tray installation efforts on my project. We normally don’t have the number of modifications or such an aggressive schedule on my projects, but I believe your contributions significantly enhanced the success of my project,” the note said. “Thank you again for a ‘job well done,’ and I look forward to our next project.”

A professional company

RAM Tray also performed a project at INVISTA, greatly impressing John Garcia, who works at the company.

“RAM Tray is truly a professional company that performed an outstanding job with precision, safety and a timeline,” he said. “Not only were they focused on customer needs but were alerted by a tray alignment problem from a prior job, which they corrected and continued to be ahead of schedule. It was a great team effort.”

For more information, visit www.ramtecgroup.com or call (281) 999-3774.