Furmanite’s continued ability to quickly respond to a customer crisis once again proved successful for one the Company’s larger North American clients – a refinery based in Illinois. Furmanite’s emergency turnaround service not only resulted in a tremendous monetary savings for the customer, it prevented a potentially life-threatening fire.
The incident occurred on a day that the plant planned to bring its pipeline up to pressure. During what should have been a routine turnaround – as a diesel exchange was starting up – the pipeline began to exude a tremendous amount of smoke. According to Scott Maki, a 14-year Furmanite veteran who has worked onsite at the plant for the past four years, the bolted flange or inlet pipe leaked onto a hot exchanger, which caused the damaging dripping and smoking.
“To fix this leak is quick and inexpensive, but the repercussions of not fixing it can be catastrophic,” said Maki. “The concern over the smoking pipe was warranted. If we weren’t onsite and able to move quickly it probably would have resulted in a fire.”
Having Furmanite onsite was a definite advantage for improving reaction time by a significant margin. Furmanite was contacted at approximately 2 p.m. to assess the pipeline damage then develop and implement a solution. Within only three hours, the Furmanite team quickly measured the clamp that was needed and prepared the necessary drawings needed for the clamp.
The measurements and drawings were sent to Houston where Furmanite stores standard off-the-shelf clamps. Within eight hours, the part was machined and delivered back to Illinois. “By 1 a.m., we received the parts necessary for this job. The fact that we were able to assess the crisis, develop and implement a solution which required obtaining a new part, within 14 hours is truly incredible,“ said Maki.
Furmanite’s ability to provide quick turnaround emergency service also resulted in a significant cost savings for the customer. Without this service, this plant would have been forced to shut down and then re-pressurize.
Despite the critical nature of the repair and the speed at which Furmanite had to address it, Maki considers the incident just a standard part of the daily responsibilities Furmanite provides to its customers. “Our ability to be successful is based on our client/vendor relationships,” said Maki. “With this particular client, it is a true partnership. Our team is proud of this relationship and we look forward to continuing to help all our customers be successful.”