Valves are a key component in the efficient operation of most industrial processes. Maintaining each one is essential to a facility's safety, performance, reliability and profitability. Total valve replacement can be expensive, time consuming and generally disruptive to operations. In contrast, on-site valve repair and modification resumes operations in the shortest time and at the lowest expense. However, when the work is performed by multiple contractors, the risk of improper repair increases as repair techniques, equipment use, training and documentation vary. When choosing a contractor that dubs itself a full-service or turnkey company, it is essential you understand the full scope of services offered.
The method to repair a valve varies greatly depending upon the valve type, use, material and reason for repair. A repair can consist of full removal and installation with bolting and torquing, on-site or shop machining, weld repair and heat treatment, lapping and grinding of valve seats, and repacking. Much like a shift handover, a maintenance handover consisting of these various repair activities can be a complex, high-risk activity.
Ensuring safety and efficiency requires critical information to be communicated between technicians during these handoffs. Oftentimes there are no written expectations with explicit requirements in place for contractors to communicate work completed on the specific valve being repaired. Failures of communication occur for a number of reasons. In general, either the information being communicated is incomplete or inaccurate, or the person on the receiving end misunderstands the meaning of the information he or she is given.
When a service provider is a true turnkey provider, the risk of poor communication and understanding greatly decreases. This is because all technicians are working with the same expectations set by the single-source supplier. Safety protocols, training requirements, process expectations and support teams are consistent across the entire job.
TEAM Industrial Services is one of the largest valve repair companies in the world. With a global staff of factory- trained technicians, the company can repair and test any type of valve. TEAM provides true turnkey offerings, bundling the repair with other supplemental services, including heat treating, welding, machining, inspection and technical bolting. By keeping all aspects of industrial valve repair in-house, the company can coordinate activities much more efficiently and effectively.
Handovers between technicians involve face-to-face communication, which allows for immediate discussion. Additionally, all TEAM technicians adhere to the company's stringent safety requirements and Quality Management System designed to ensure implementation of industry best practices and compliance with all customer and regulatory requirements.
As part of a large-scale Quality Management System, TEAM also maintains a Quality Manager website that serves as a repository for the documentation of all services. In addition to the appropriate valve repair forms, TEAM also provides supplemental documentation for additional details on welding, NDE, heat treating, machining and alteration when applicable.
For more information, visit www. TeamInc.com or call (800) 662-8326.
