Aramco Asia Japan (AAJ) forged a partnership with seven top-level inspection service providers to support engineering services operations in Asia for the next five years.
The contractors will perform the inspection activities mandated by Saudi Aramco engineering standards on all of the inspectable materials procured from Asia directly by the company or through projects and joint ventures.
AAJ representative director Ahmed Alkhunaini signed the contracts with the representatives of the seven inspection firms in a ceremony that 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 that inspection companies have played in ensuring a sustainable material supply chain.
Alkhunaini called for the direct involvement of contractors’ management in contributing to a competent and sufficient workforce.
“Saudi Aramco’s sourcing team is tapping into new countries to discover and approve new sources for material demands. This challenge needs your direct involvement to secure a sufficient number of competent inspectors for all commodities, boost their knowledge and elevate their awareness through continuous training,” he said.
Moalla Al Omari, head of the Aramco Asia Quality Management Division (AAQMD), briefed the attendees with an overview of Quality Management. He introduced statistical information that quantified the workload in Asia, lessons learned, and a list of challenges that can’t be met without significant collaborative efforts.
He also advocated the new administrative tools basket designed by the AAQMD team to be utilized by contractors for smoother inspection operations.
The contracts signed cover India, as well, in an effort to migrate the India operation from Aramco Overseas Company to Aramco Asia.
