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Process Performance Improvement Consultants, LLC (P-PIC) brings together a team of consultants with considerable experience in natural gas and liquid pipeline management, operations, engineering and regulatory affairs. Our mission is to provide process knowledge, facilitative skills and deep industry knowledge to enable energy companies to meet expanding business challenges while continuously improving business performance and safety. Our team supports the energy pipeline business in three areas:
While these appear to be separate and distinct, the experience and
knowledge gained in each area provides valuable insights into working
in the other two areas, which in turn enables us to bring greater
value to our clients. Our work in supporting technology transfer and
developing standards provides the foundation to expert analysis in
litigation and process consulting. Our work in process consulting
engagements provides us with a broad based knowledge of practices
and technology that is invaluable in litigation and due diligence
support. Our work in litigation, auditing and due diligence provide
short-term intensive exposure to the intricacies of operating the
business and the opportunity to critically review and identify opportunities
to improve processes, the effective use of people and technology.
Each of these key areas is described further below.
Technology
Transfer and Standards Development
We support efforts at INGAA, API/AOPL, GTI and PRCI in developing
the bridge that takes research and codifies the knowledge and technology
into technical standards and other industry guidelines and practices.
We also provide expertise in helping to frame regulatory development
in the context of standards and technology. Our strength is being
able to distill the technical content and place it in a context
that can be used by the business and understood by regulators and
the public. Projects in this area include the following:
- Integrity Management standards development (ASME B31.8S)
- Operator Qualification standard development (ASME B31Q)
- In-Line Inspection, Direct Assessment and pressure testing standards
development
- Leading Mechanical Damage Practices (API/AOPL Performance Excellence
Team)
- Leading Corrosion Prevention Practices (API/AOPL Performance
Excellence Team)
- Joint Industry Project on Stress Corrosion Cracking
- Joint Industry Project on Alternative Design with Life Cycle
Management
- Gas Quality standards development
- Application of standards to support regulation
- Interpretations of regulations in a business context
- White Paper development on technical issues (e.g. Waiver Process
for Class Location Change; Fatigue in Energy Pipelines, Risk of
a Gas Transmission Pipeline, Roadmap to Greater Capacity)
- International standards development support (Israel Pipeline
Design, Operations and Maintenance Regulations)
- Training course development for consensus standards
- Ethanol transportation by pipeline
Process Consulting
We support energy pipeline companies in facilitating development of processes to improve safety and reliability in operations, maintenance and system integrity, measurement and engineering project management. In addition, we bring the experience of having managed these functions as well as the broad knowledge and experience having critically reviewed numerous processes in litigation, auditing and due diligence. Our strength is the ability to facilitate improvements while working with people throughout organizations because of our deep knowledge and experience in the industry. We can relate to people throughout the organization but have the ability to step back and provide an independent perspective. Projects we have been involved in include the following:
- Product measurement and lost and unaccounted for minimization
- Nominations and Transportation of product
- Product quality and control of quality
- Pipeline safety compliance
- Risk management programs and solutions
- Integrity management programs
- Management of change
- Damage prevention
- Communication to stakeholders
- Quality control and quality assurance of Management Processes
- Performance measurement
- Company organization design
- Reviews/Audits of company programs
- Policies, Plans and Procedures gap analysis
- Pipeline design and construction specification development
and compliance review
- Special permits and waivers from regulations
- Pipeline replacement programs
- Failure investigation
Litigation, Auditing and Due Diligence
We support energy pipeline companies in the defense of their company, their management and their business practices in litigation through use of our experience and knowledge of industry practices. We use that same experience and knowledge base in providing independent auditing services for senior executives and boards, and investors considering purchase of a set of pipeline assets. Our strength is to apply that critical independent perspective in evaluating business operations and key points through the life cycle of a set of assets.
Noteworthy cases include the following
- Carlsbad, New Mexico - natural gas pipeline failure
- Bellingham, Washington - hazardous liquid pipeline failure
- Baytown, Texas - natural gas pipeline failure
- The first citizens lawsuit against a pipeline company under
the Pipeline Safety Act
- California market power cases
- Risk assessment for new pipeline constructed in Northeast
- Risk assessment for conversion and change in service from crude
oil to products pipeline
- Condemnation and landowner issues
- Bankruptcy and Force Majeure
We are available to help our clients when they need facilitative capacity to enable improvements to be identified, tested, integrated and sustained in the business. We are there to provide that independent perspective when faced by legal challenge, the need to evaluate the effectives of current operations or critically review a set of assets for acquisition.
If your company faces challenges in these areas, we can assist you in developing comprehensive, systematic and integrated solutions that are tailored to your specific needs.
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