Aramco Asia Japan (AAJ) forged partnership with seven top-level inspection service providers to support engineering services operations in Asia for the next five years 2016-2020. The contractors will perform the inspection activities mandated by Saudi Aramco engineering standards on all the inspectable materials procured from Asia directly by the Company or through projects and JVs.
AAJ Representative Director Ahmed Alkhunaini signed the contracts with the representatives of the seven inspection firms in a ceremony that has attracted more than 50 attendees in Tokyo. The seven inspection firms are SGS, Japan Inspection Co., ABS Consulting, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, Tuboscope and Edif NDE.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Alkhunaini congratulated the contractors and emphasized the importance of the key role inspection companies have played in ensuring sustainable material supply chain.
Alkhunaini called for the direct involvement of contractor's management in contributing to a competent and sufficient workforce. “Saudi Aramco sourcing team is tapping into new countries to discover and approve new sources for material demands, this challenge needs your direct involvement to secure sufficient number of competent inspectors for all commodities, boost their knowledge and elevate their awareness through continues training” he said.
Moalla Al Omari, head of Aramco Asia Quality Management Division (AAQMD), briefed the attendees with an overview of the Quality Management. He introduced statistical information that quantified the workload in Asia, lessons learned and list of challenges that can't be met without collaborative big efforts. He also advocated the new administrative tools basket designed by AAQMD team to be utilized by contractors for smoother inspection operations.
It's worth mentioning that the contracts signed cover India as well in an effort to migrate India operation from Aramco Overseas Company to Aramco Asia.