Non-destructive testing specialist

Buffalo: More than Radiography

Last Spring the Buffalo team completed a review of the best technology to diversify our offering to our customers. We continue to take great pride in our ability to execute radiography for you where and when you need it. Our search was extensive and we landed on a new piece of technology called a Gekko that provides Advanced Phased Array and TFM all in one box. The Gekko is the most advanced PAUT technology globally. At its heart is TFM or Total Focus Methodology a unique capability to provide significantly higher resolution of defects as well as three-dimensional imaging and real time reporting.

This past Fall a number of Buffalo technicians were certified in the globally accepted PCN Level II PAUT training from the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing using the Gekko. This was the first Gekko PCN training and certification in North America and Buffalo hosted this at our facilities in Edmonton.

We now have deployed Gekkos in all of our locations to support Integrity digs, corrosion testing of flanges, valves and compressor bottles.

We want to be your solutions provider! If you have any asset integrity issues give us a call. We are solving corrosion problems for a number of oil and gas companies that have not previously been achievable.  Buffalo have the right equipment and the right technicians to serve your current inspection needs and challenges.

By Larry Kaumeyer, CEO, Buffalo Inspection Services

 

Pipeline Inspection

2018 Expect A Better Year in Alberta and at Buffalo; We Are Ready to Serve You!

As we head into 2018 and with WTI at $60/bbl it just feels better across Alberta. We are gearing up, adding trucks, technicians and new technology focused on delivering better productivity and quality for our clients. We are ready to go and we are tracking the positive investment developments of many of our clients that have us feeling very optimistic.

  • Trans Mountain Pipeline is a go and we believe the spin offs from this will provide positive benefits for all of us.
  • Enbridge Line 3 is well underway and we were happy to provide support for this project in two Provinces.
  • IPL’s announcement of a $3.5 billion-dollar Petrochemical plant build out in the Industrial Heartland and the potential for an added propane facility by Pembina pipelines in 2020.
  • Continued strength in the liquids rich Montney and Duverney have many oil and gas companies expanding drilling and pipeline infrastructure.

Lastly, we are dealing with a real winter and in a way, I hope it continues for some time. The more Alberta natural gas that gets burned the better it will be for prices coming back.

Canada’s Opportunity (Sources:  Toronto Sun, CAPP)

Canada currently has the third largest oil reserve in the world, but our development and economic prosperity has always been based on the careful, sustainable and safe extraction of our natural resources.  At the same time, global demand for energy is growing at a rapid pace – especially with emerging and developing economies such as China and India, where the standard of living is improving.

In the latest forecast by the International Energy Agency (which published its 2016 World Energy Outlook in November 2016), there is a prediction that global energy consumption will rise 31% by 2040.  This increase includes a 12% rise in oil consumption and allows for 49% growth in natural gas.

Now, it is even more important for Canada to ensure our natural gas and oil reserves are able to access the rest of the world market.  to do this, it is essential for Canada to build new pipelines, Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals and marine transport facilities.

The upcoming major projects would add significant additional capacity:

  • TransCanada Energy East would 1,100,000 b/d capacity
  • Enbridge Line 3 Replacement would add 370,000 b/d capacity
  • TransMountain Expansion Project would add 590,000 b/d capacity
  • TransCanada Keystone XL would add 830,000 b/d capacity

If these projects proceed as expected, they will help to ensure Canada’s prosperity and economic growth, with job creation and economic benefits expected to be significant from coast to coast.  The forecasted government revenues per project are in the billions of dollars per year.

By Larry Kaumeyer, CEO, Buffalo Inspection Services

 

Non-destructive testing specialist

THE HIDDEN FACTORS OF A SUCCESSFUL TRAINEE IN NDT

There is no doubt that the NDT industry is an attractive industry to get into, especially in Alberta. It is highly specialized, there is a shortage of talent, the skills are in demand and as a result it pays very well. While attending a foundations course at NAIT/SAIT or the College of the North Atlantic is, in my opinion, a required pre-requisite, it does not guarantee a trainee’s success in the day to day of the industry. While some larger organizations follow the “hire 10 trainees and maybe 1 or 2 will work out” approach, Buffalo’s approach is different. We have found that other factors are just as important and in addition to the education piece will predict the success of a new trainee hire.

First thing Buffalo looks at is whether or not the trainee has experience in any other trade whether skilled or unskilled or as a laborer. If a new trainee has this kind of experience its shows that they can handle working and have worked long hours. The standard day for an NDT technician is rarely 8 hours, and a good NDT technician has to be able to keep focused on quality, safety and the job for long periods of time. I find that this is a good indicator of success and tells us whether or not the new trainee can handle the 10+ hour days that are standard in NDT industry.

The second factor that we look for is closely related to the first, and that is field work experience. You have to be able to work for long hours out in the field, on the client site, or on the pipeline in the middle of nowhere in sometimes less than ideal conditions. The trainee has to be able to handle the sights, sounds, people, safety mindset, and pace of work that comes with working on large and small sites. This is a big eye opener for many trainees as the real-life working conditions are not the same as the learning conditions in the classroom or anything else that some candidates have experienced before.

The third factor that Buffalo looks for is where the person is from and where they grew up. In the NDT industry there is a significant amount of time spent in remote locations away from friends and family and a significant amount of time spent traveling to and from these remote locations. Buffalo has found that trainees from rural areas have an easier time with this as they are more comfortable in small town surroundings, have grown up with having to leave home for schooling or other personal endeavors and have grown up traveling long distances as a normal part of life. I am not saying that candidates from cities are unsuccessful, just that I have noticed the initial shock of the NDT industry’s working requirements are more easily weathered by the rural group.

As the Human Resources Manager at Buffalo Inspection, I find that there is a small success rate for newly hired trainees if the above factors are not taken into account during the hiring decision. The amount of work, in terms of hours; the location of work and working conditions, in terms of being out in the field; and the time spent away from friends and family; although a regular part of life in the NDT industry, are a huge eye-opening experience for many first timers.

This all being said the rewards are significant and at Buffalo Inspection Services we openly support our trainees with mentorship, additional training and top wages that reflect best in class for the NDT industry.

By Arthur Kolodenko, Human Resources Manager