In this article, Ingersoll Rand gives 15 tips for reducing risks, cutting costs, and improving success rates.
Engineering firms and EPC contractors need to be skilled in buying and managing compressed air and nitrogen projects to win contracts from major clients. Being good at this is key because these systems often need custom designs for different industries.
Chapter I. Tips in Specification Analysis
Managing an engineered air compressor and nitrogen generation project can be challenging. Studying and analyzing the technical specifications is crucial for delivering the client’s requirements. We will present a variety of tips on the specification analysis:
1/ Project Description
Consider environmental factors like altitude, temperature, and humidity for machine selection. Also, review technical needs like supply scope and pressure for accurate compressor specifications.
2/ Quality Standards
Understanding air compressor standards and purity levels is crucial for system design. Choose standards based on contaminants and purification methods, considering local and international manufacturing regulations
3/ Explosive Environments Certification
Air compressors and nitrogen generators are designed for complex and hazardous conditions. Ensuring that your supplier meets the appropriate quality standard certifications is important.
4/ System requirements
- Vendors must meet specification requirements. Any deviations should be clear in the proposals. The technical requirements include:
- Air Compressors or Nitrogen Generation technical description
- Instrument air requirements & service air
- Connections
- Type of refrigeration equipment
- Motor requirements
- Surface preparation and painting
- Electrical requirements – Instrumentation
- Control (I&C) requirements
5/ Inspection and testing
This section includes routine test information per standards. Implement an inspection and test plan checklist for efficient delivery.
6/ Spare parts and guarantees
Choose a vendor that offers spare parts without pre-commissioning needs, ensures availability during construction, and guarantees specification compliance.
7/ Documentation
Ensure submission of all required documentation: technical, quality, logistics, expediting, OSM, PEM, and any additional specifications.
Chapter II. Tips to reduce costs in the Project Management Life Cycle
Understanding vendor project life cycles reduces costs and increases success. Teams oversee design, assembly, and start-up, using tools like AutoCAD and MS Project. Sales and project managers work with client tech staff and engineers to achieve the following targets:
8/ Specifications
Study and adopt specifications to fulfill the requirements of your client. Analyze the product range, including custom and special vendor requirements that will be needed.
9/ Simplification
Simplify the product configuration as much as possible. Focus on critical points and assess operating conditions, power, space, and maintenance needs. Clarify the global project requirements, including air compressors or nitrogen generators.
10/ Design
Optimize the design: deliver the optimal design of the installation by providing all documents.
11/ Equipment
Maintain consistency in equipment. Where possible, equipment should have common characteristics, such as having all pipe connections being the same to reduce pressure drop.
12/ Storage
Define system storage pre-installation. To save money, the equipment storage needs between delivery and installation and start-up should be addressed. For example, if the machines will be stored near the sea, you will need special paint applied to avoid oxidation.
13. Vendor
Assign vendor responsibility. To save time and avoid problems, ensure that the vendor is responsible for the entire process including packaging documentation, and that equipment transportation is by the corresponding ICOTERM.
14/ Delays
Review the previous checklist to avoid delays. Make sure that the seller has specialized technicians available globally to perform PEM as soon as it is required.
15/ Technical Documentation
Determine and document the duration of the project and scope. Define all required technical documentation and inspection reports that will be required for all equipment.
About Ingersoll Rand
Ingersoll Rand provides specialized custom air and gas compressor and nitrogen generation packages to international EPC contractors and engineering companies across a range of industries.
For more information, visit Ingersoll Rand.
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