When people speak of quality control, it is typically in reference to the adherence of a manufactured product to required specifications. A different and equally important type of quality control deals with performing engineering design audits, i.e., engineering quality control of systems, equipment, and components.
Carmagen Engineering, Inc. performs engineering design audits to bring a high level of quality control to the engineering design process. This goal is accomplished by identifying deviations from design specifications and accepted engineering practices while the designs are “on paper” -- before the hardware has been fabricated and installed.
The advantages of our engineering design audits can be seen from two viewpoints:
The oil and gas industry has undergone major personnel changes in recent years. As a result, companies generally have lower levels of human resources and average experience than they had ten years ago. This is true at owner companies, contractors, and equipment manufacturers. Engineering quality control has always been important, and the current personnel situation requires new approaches to maintain proper performance in this area.
Depending on the particular needs of an engineering situation, an engineering design audit may be focused on a small number of critical equipment items, or it may be applied on a wider basis to the design for an entire project. In the latter case, carefully developed screening procedures are used to check contractor and vendor performance on a sampling basis. If discrepancies are found in a particular area, increased attention is directed there and corrective actions are recommended as appropriate.
As an independent engineering consulting organization, Carmagen Engineering, Inc. delivers reviews that are free of bias for or against any product or technology. Where design alternatives are indicated, we can make recommendations based on practicability and technical excellence, without a vested interest in the outcome.
We have developed plans for and executed engineering design audits for major capital projects worldwide. These include projects located in Greece, Indonesia, Korea, France, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.