Services

Process Performance Improvement Consultants, LLC (P-PIC) brings together a team of consultants with extensive experience in natural gas and liquid pipeline management, operations, engineering and regulatory affairs. Our mission is to provide process knowledge, facilitative skills and deep industry knowledge to enable energy companies to meet expanding business challenges while continuously improving business performance and safety. Our team supports the energy pipeline business in three areas: Technology Transfer and Standards Development Process Consulting Litigation, Auditing and Due Diligence While these appear to be separate and distinct, the experience and knowledge gained in each area provides valuable insights into working in the other two areas, which in turn enables us to bring greater value to our clients. Our work in supporting technology transfer and developing standards provides the foundation to expert analysis in litigation and process consulting. Our work in process consulting engagements provides us with a broad based knowledge of practices and technology that is invaluable in litigation and due diligence support. Our work in litigation, auditing and due diligence provide short-term intensive exposure to the intricacies of operating the business and the opportunity to critically review and identify opportunities to improve processes, the effective use of people and technology. Each of these key areas is described further below. Technology Transfer and Standards Development We support efforts at INGAA, API/AOPL, GTI and PRCI in developing the bridge that takes research and codifies the knowledge and technology into technical standards and other industry guidelines and practices. We also provide expertise in helping to frame regulatory development in the context of standards and technology. Our strength is being able to distill the technical content and place it in a context that can be used by the business and understood by regulators and the public. Projects in this area include the following: Integrity Management standards development (ASME B31.8S) Operator Qualification standard development (ASME B31Q) In-Line Inspection, Direct Assessment and pressure testing standards development Leading Mechanical Damage Practices Leading Corrosion Prevention Practices Joint Industry Project on Stress Corrosion Cracking Gas Quality and interchangeability guidelines development Application of standards to support regulation Interpretations of regulations in a business context White Paper development on technical issues (e.g. Waiver Process for Class Location Change; Fatigue in Energy Pipelines, Risk of a Gas Transmission Pipeline, Roadmap to Greater Capacity) International standards development support (Israel Pipeline Design, Operations and Maintenance Regulations) Training course development for consensus standards Ethanol transportation by pipeline Process Consulting We support energy pipeline companies in facilitating development of processes to improve safety and reliability in operations, maintenance and system integrity, measurement and engineering project management. In addition, we bring the experience of having managed these functions as well as the broad knowledge and experience having critically reviewed numerous processes in litigation, auditing and due diligence. Our strength is the ability to facilitate improvements while working with people throughout organizations because of our deep knowledge and experience in the industry. We can relate to people throughout the organization but have the ability to step back and provide an independent perspective. Projects we have been involved in include the following: Product measurement and lost and unaccounted for minimization Nominations and Transportation of product Product quality and control of quality Pipeline safety compliance Risk management programs and solutions Integrity management programs Management of change Damage prevention Communication to stakeholders Quality control and quality assurance of Management Processes Performance measurement Company organization design Reviews/Audits of company programs Policies, Plans and Procedures gap analysis Pipeline design and construction specification development and compliance review Special permits and waivers from regulations Pipeline replacement programs Failure investigation Litigation, Auditing and Due Diligence We support energy pipeline companies and their counsel in the defense of their company, their management and their business practices in litigation through use of our experience and knowledge of industry practices, serving as expert and consulting witnesses through our parent company, The Blacksmith Group. We use that same experience and knowledge base in providing independent auditing services for senior executives and boards, and investors considering purchase of a set of pipeline assets. Our strength is to apply that critical independent perspective in evaluating business operations and key points through the life cycle of a set of assets. We are available to help our clients when they need facilitative capacity to enable improvements to be identified, tested, integrated and sustained in the business. We are there to provide that independent perspective when faced by legal challenge, the need to evaluate the effectives of current operations or critically review a set of assets for acquisition. If your company faces challenges in these areas, we can assist you in developing comprehensive, systematic and integrated solutions that are tailored to your specific needs.