How To Grow Pipe Crack Inspection Business For Midstream Operators

What is Pipe Crack Inspection Service

We are talking now about the midstream energy operators – not the service companies or contractors in this industry. Since such companies build pipes carrying natural gas, liquids and other drawn compounds, they need to make them safe. Now, pipes develop cracks in various climates. Extreme temperatures weaken the pipe and cracks begin to form. These pipes also corrode as time passes because of chemical exposure. Depending on what they carry, hydrogen and sulfur could corrode pipes. Pipe joints form weak areas, where one pipe welds to another. So it’s clear – inspecting pipes, analyzing cracks using software tools and measuring their growth early promotes safe work. This is Pipe Crack Inspection Service.

The Offer To Customers

Customers understand operators need to preserve the pipe. So, software service could include three parts – maintain, upgrade and support.

• Maintaining is sending crew to check pipes at regular periods, reporting changes and charging for repair

• Upgrades would include installing new software and hardware tools over various intervals

• Support would include custom work such as integrating the software to dashboards, customer’s risk tools, custom reports, training on using the software and hardware, engineering services and assigning on-site person at customer site for daily support

How To Package The Service Offer

One possible approach is to use a yearly service contract. This could include a yearly bucket of labor hours, renewed each following year for a fixed term of 7 years. The Pipe Inspection Business Unit could then use these hours to maintain, upgrade or support pipes. Now, you could also divide upgrade into 3 levels.

• Level 1) Customer does the work with operator company support

• Level 2) Both do work at different intervals

• Level 3) Operator company does the work each year, on each software release

In Conclusion

This is another chance for operator companies to grow their in-house engineering, software and service business. Such a business unit could set a new standard to grow the top line. It’s now organic growth – opposite to the current market trend for buying companies. It improves the ability for operators to use their engineering, R&D and service staff and showcase their abilities in improving cash-flow, profits and revenues.

Written by Suresh Iyengar, P.E., President, Business Unit Execution LLC––“Explosive Business Coaching Houston Results For Small Business”. Want even faster results? Are you ready to learn? Call 281.410.5375 and speak to your Profitability Coach Houston today!