Automated Valve Procurement (AVP) is a proposed joint effort between Process Industry Practices (PIP) and FIATECH. AVP is, in three words, online valve matching. At its core, this project is a collaboration between PIP, FIATECH, Owner, Contractor, and Supplier Engineers to find a way to quickly verify that a submitted valve is technically suitable for service.
AVP is a high priority project in the Integrated Automated Procurement and Supply Network of FIATECH’s project roadmap. Currently, engineers verify valve details manually, and correct valve materials, trim etc. are critical to the design, procurement, and construction process. The conservative estimated cost to industry using today’s time-consuming and repetitive methodology to verify valve details is at least $8,000,000 per year. Whether projects are executed Lump Sum or Cost Plus, this cost is built directly into the project. That is Millions of dollars per year that could be used to improve capital utilization.
The joint effort, AVP, would eliminate many engineering hours now spent on repetitive tasks by simplifying and organizing the procurement process. Using the PIP valve catalog as the comparison basis, Owners, Contractors, and Suppliers could load their valve model or number equivalents to PIP’s catalog information, mapping their numbers to the PIP numbers. Numbers would be electronically cross-referenced to anyone else as needed by using the “Valve Matcher” tools to be developed in the AVP.
Using the cross-referenced PIP valve catalog would reduce the amount of engineering hours spent on verifying equivalent valves. Organizing combined valve data this way would also reduce the hours spent by Owner Engineers finding specific valve data. Supplier and Contractor Engineers could prepare and/or verify a quote in a fraction of the time it currently would consume. Suppliers would have the opportunity to cross-reference with their customers internal catalogs allowing them to provide improved service to their customers through detailed quotes and technical information. The proposed work process of using an online “Valve Matcher Catalog System” could reduce time and labor costs by as much as 80% and result in savings to the industry greater than $6,000,000 per year.
To achieve this “Valve Matcher Catalog System,” PIP & FIATECH need Owners who will volunteer their valve catalogs and who will convince/require their tier one suppliers to join this effort. Suppliers are needed who will volunteer to load their valve model numbers and size ranges into the system. To stay competitive, most Contractors will use the “Valve Matcher Catalog System” if it is made available to them.
All interested Owner, Contractor, or Supplier Companies are invited to participate in a one day “Interested Parties Workshop” to further define this exciting project. This workshop is scheduled for June 8th, 2005 (8am – 3pm) and will be hosted by S&B Engineering in Houston, There is no fee to attend this workshop; however, you must register before June 1st to reserve your spot. Space is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. Contact Tim Teague if you would like more information or to obtain a registration form:
Tom Teague
(713) 728.9140
[email protected]
