Improving Industrial Piping Through Vendor Data and Packaged Units Processes

The vendor data processes within industrial piping design am very inefficient throughout the industry today. Through personal interviews with procurement and packaged unit experts, the problems causing these inefficiencies were identified. The problems with vendor data were in the general areas of communication, coordination and vendor selection. The problem with packaged units were in insufficient packaged unit vendor engineering staff, complexity of packaged units, inexperienced packaged unit subvendors, increased owner demand for customization, problematic inquiry specifications, lack of input from operations and maintenance personnel, and unrealistic promises by packaged units sales personnel.

The improvement of these processes can be achieved by first identifying the uncertainties in vendor data, designer reviews and owner specifications which are injected into various phases of the vendor data cycle and the packaged unit design and fabrication cycle. After identifying the uncertainties, a process redesign was performed. A process redesign is an improvement on an existing process such as Vendor Data Coordination Meetings or a newly introduced process such as the Packaged Unit Vendor Pre-Qualification Program. Other recommendations include Vendor Data Request Forms, a Vendor Pre-Qualification program, a Customization/Specifications Meeting, a Pre-Award Meeting and a new role: a Packaged Units Coordinator. Every process redesign is a recommendation that will help improve the efficiency of vendor data and packaged unit operations and consequently improve the efficiency of industrial piping design and installation by reducing delays and field rework. These recommendations have been validated by industry input.