Furmanite Announces Industry’s First Web-Based LDAR Compliance Management Solution
Furmanite, a worldwide technical and engineering services company has successfully completed an onsite implementation of its new state-of-the-art eCompliance ™ solution, a part of its LDAR (Leak Detection and Repair) line of services. The completion of this successful pilot program at Merisol’s chemical plant in Houston, TX, launches the national rollout of the innovative eCompliance solution to facilities required to comply with LDAR regulations under the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
“eCompliance is the most revolutionary compliance solution to hit this industry,” said Jeff Chick, president and CEO of Furmanite. “Furmanite has made a significant investment – in technology, people and processes – to develop the industry’s only comprehensive solution to integrate web-based technology, wireless data collection equipment, qualified people and best-in-class processes. We did this so our clients wouldn’t have to spend an extraordinary amount of money and valuable time managing legacy technology, yet still having to face the real possibility of compliance issues and violations.”
Chick added “Deploying Furmanite’s eCompliance solution allows the customer to focus on management and results, and not spend valuable resources on data capture, reporting and system maintenance. In short, eCompliance allows Furmanite to introduce an entirely new way of thinking and operating in this industry.”
The eCompliance solution equips customers with the tools they need to cost-effectively manage and exceed all government regulations and operational requirements associated with LDAR. Customers now have the ability to use a 24/7 accessible Dashboard that features Key Performance Indicators of all critical data, a secure customer Home Portal to access information from multiple sites, monitor primary LDAR activities, and generate regulatory reports in multiple formats. In addition, the customer Home Portal uses built-in libraries to store pertinent information such as historical and current regulatory reports, site specific standard operating procedures (SOP), technician training records, and events calendars, and it produces electronic alerts with email integration.
“The Furmanite eCompliance solution took our current LDAR process to an entirely new level. It provides us with more data stability, faster reports, and a more cost effective way to ensure compliance in the long run,” said Leigh Ann Hawboldt, Manager of Training and Development for Merisol, a global provider of high quality phenolic products, with two major cresylic acid production facilities in Houston, Texas and Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Challenge
Furmanite designed and implemented their eCompliance solution for Merisol’s chemical plant after Merisol’s legacy software for fugitive emissions monitoring and compliance failed to provide critical data and generate reports. Merisol contacted Furmanite, who has provided fugitive emissions monitoring services using Merisol’s legacy software at their chemical plant since the late 1990s, and asked if Furmanite could assist them with recovery of their data. Furmanite was able to help Merisol recover their data and Merisol agreed to migrate to Furmanite’s new eCompliance for a permanent solution. After implementation, Merisol quickly recognized the benefits of this new process to better manage compliance.
To read the comprehensive Merisol case study, click here.
The Solution
Furmanite’s eCompliance solution helps customers avoid violations such as missed component monitoring and repair deadlines by using on-line tracking web services. eCompliance helps ensure timely repairs by using auto-generation of alerts and work orders. There is instant awareness of critical leaks, and better documentation for faster hand offs after leaks and other faults are discovered. Furmanite’s technicians are armed with intrinsically-safe PDA devices, which enables wireless data collection. The eCompliance solution is further enhanced when Furmanite provides leak sealing services at the site.
The data is ultimately owned by the customer, and Furmanite ensures system availability, security and stability by providing 24/7 access, and data management services, such as database backups, rapid recovery plans, and version control. Furmanite can also integrate eCompliance with the customer’s work order and ERP systems.
About Furmanite
Furmanite’s business is the protection and management of its customers’ critical assets, and the company’s technical and technological capabilities help to assure that customers’ critical assets are on line and performing for maximum profit. 2004 marked 75 years of Furmanite serving industry worldwide. Today, Furmanite is recognized as ‘the’ worldwide expert in the field of on-site and on-line plant and pipeline maintenance. Furmanite’s single mission and business goal is to maximize asset uptime for customers. Specifically, everything Furmanite does directly relates to keeping an asset on-line, productive and profitable; be it a pipeline, a plant, or personnel. Furmanite ensures asset productivity and profitability for a variety of industries — chemical and petrochemical, oil and gas, power generation, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, and national defense.
This commitment to excellence, coupled with Furmanite’s broad array of services and proprietary technology, is a critical component to the operation and financial success of some of the world’s largest process manufacturers and energy producers and suppliers including Shell, ExxonMobil, Sun Oil, Dominion, Exelon, Cinergy, Entergy and Reliant. Furmanite has more than 40 offices on five continents. Its website is www.furmanite.com
