The importance of such facilities as Arctic LNG 2 and the maleic anhydride production plant (MAN in Tobolsk) is difficult to overestimate. This is a new stage in the development of the country's economy. This is a new stage in the development of technologies and best practices of the global petrochemical industry. This is a new level of quality required for domestic products in the construction market.
When constructing such facilities, the closest attention is paid to the selection of suppliers and product audit. In such projects there is no place for an outdated and dangerous approach, when they remember about fasteners at the last moment, choose the most affordable one on the market (usually of low quality), and proceed with its installation without proper testing.
When choosing a supplier of high-strength fasteners for the construction of Arctic LNG 2, the developer company (NOVARCTIC SNC) does not limit itself to checking the documentation. The company has extended the audit procedure of metal structures manufacturing plants to the entire supply chain. NOVARCTIC SNC authorized auditors conduct a full product inspection with a visit to the manufacturing plant. Verification covers all stages of product creation. At the beginning of summer, the BERVEL high-strength fasteners plant (and not only for this facility) underwent such an inspection.
Reason to think: why, when constructing advanced facilities, are so many resources spent on expensive audits of materials?
European management, which actively oversees the issue of quality at these facilities, perfectly understands the relationship between the quality of materials and components and the economic efficiency of the project. Experience in the construction of advanced facilities shows that inspection and testing of fasteners is not an expensive formality that should be bypassed, but the most pressing need. There is no room for “trust”, because of which fasteners often become a bottleneck on a construction site. If during the construction process they start to “shoot off” bolts, then the price of such negligence will, at best, be missed deadlines and additional costs, and at worst, the lives and health of people.
Testing the fasteners during the initial inspection is a way to avoid paying twice. And if we are talking about high-strength fasteners (especially those used in extreme climatic conditions), then it is rational to check them at the manufacturer. This allows you to obtain maximum information about the product and gain time in case a deviation from the technology is detected.
Another argument in favor of checking fasteners is the presence of low-quality products on the domestic market. Employees of the BERVEL plant constantly analyze the fastening market for the quality of products presented from other manufacturers. The modern laboratory center of the plant allows us to obtain a technical basis to confirm the situation - there are too many low-quality fasteners on the market. Thus, in August, the supply of high-strength nuts was monitored. Based on the results of the inspection, the fastener samples showed non-compliance with the declared characteristics, and a critical violation of the technology by some manufacturers was revealed (see photo). This confirms that the likelihood of purchasing a low-quality product is, unfortunately, significant, and the risk of negative consequences from its use on a construction site is high.
Checking fasteners for compliance with the declared characteristics has become an urgent need in the domestic market. Verification of products by the consumer should not be carried out formally and only on the basis of documents provided by the manufacturer. It is rational to carry out such testing at the place of manufacture of the product. But if for some reason the consumer cannot conduct a full audit and certification of the supplier, then given the enormous responsibility of connections on high-strength fasteners, it is necessary, at a minimum, to carry out incoming inspection of incoming products.
If the practice of checking fasteners follows an advanced path and becomes more widespread in the domestic market, then the market itself will change. It will be forced to respond to consumer requests and offer an increasingly high-quality product that will be in demand during the construction of the most innovative facilities.
