Best Practice

SABP-G-010 14 April 2007

Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Facilities of Rotating Equipment
Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines Standards Committee Members
Sabri, Hasan Abdulrahman, Chairman
Makki, Younes Habib, Vice Chairman
Hussain, Khaleel Ma'Atug
Issa, Mohammad Abdallah
Jamea, Khalid Hamad
Khalifah, Khalifah Sa'Ad
Khowaiter, Abdul Rahman Othman
Odan, Nabeel Mohammad
Saeed, Mustafa Taher
Saffar, Adel Abdullah
Fagihi, Ali Saoud
Beckenbach, Joseph William

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Table of Contents

1 Introduction................................................... 2
2 References................................................... 2
3 General......................................................... 3
4 Quality Evaluation......................................... 3
5 Reporting...................................................... 3

Appendix A – Survey Form................................. 5

Previous Issue: New Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012

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Primary contact: Makki, Younes Habib on 966-3-8746637

Copyright©Saudi Aramco 2007. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of this Practice is to establish guidelines for surveying and

assessing the technical capabilities and Quality Management System
effectiveness of new or existing rotating equipment and material manufacturing
facilities being considered for addition to the Saudi Aramco vendor list.

1.2 Scope

This Best Practice gives general guidelines to be followed during rotating

equipment manufacturing facility assessment visits prior to plant approval by
Saudi Aramco.

1.3 Disclaimer

This Best Practice is being provided for the general guidance and benefit of
Saudi Aramco engineers conducting an assessment visit of rotating equipment
plants. The use of this Best Practice does not relieve the manufacturer from his
responsibility or duty to confirm or to verify the accuracy of any information
presented, or from his contractual liability to expose his capability to
manufacture equipment with the required safety, quality control, accuracy in
meeting delivery dates and field support aspects that conform to Mandatory
Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirements. The use of the information or
material contained herein will not guarantee that the resulting product satisfies
the applicable requirements of Saudi Aramco Standards. Saudi Aramco
assumes no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any reliance on the
information presented herein in accordance with this Best Practice document.
Moreover, this Best Practice is intended only to provide guidelines for Saudi
Aramco engineers conducting the plant assessment visit and shall not be
considered as a replacement for the Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering
Requirements. Saudi Aramco® is a registered trademark of the Saudi Arabian
Oil Company. Copyright, Saudi Aramco, 2004.

1.4 Conflicts with Mandatory Standards

In the event of a conflict between this Best Practice and other Mandatory Saudi
Aramco Engineering Requirements, the Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering
Requirement shall govern.

2 References
ISO-900:2000 Quality Management System Requiremnts

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

The mandatory engineering requirements of the specific equipment produced by the

plant being evaluated shall be considered per the relevant Saudi Aramco and
international codes and standards.

3 General

¾ This Best Practice provides general guidelines to be considered by Saudi Aramco

engineers conducting equipment plant assessment visits. The Table below lists key
inquiries that the engineer needs to obtain the appropriate information, in order to
complete the assessment.

¾ Typical manufacturing facility survey consists of both technical engineering and

quality evaluations. The Table below is divided into two sections:

1) Pre-visit for items to be addressed and prepared for prior to the plant visit.

2) During-visit for the items to be covered during the plant visit.

¾ The Table presented in Appendix A shall be used to provide the minimum

information needed to complete the assessment. It shall be completed to the full
extent possible; additional engineering judgment shall also be part of the evaluation,
as occasionally it may not be possible to complete all the inquiry fields.

4 Quality Evaluation

The manufacturer's quality system shall be evaluated using the model of a process-
based quality management system and measuring the level of complinace with
ISO-9001:2000 requirements by a certified auditor.

5 Reporting

¾ Upon completion of the plant assessment visit, a report should be generated to

compile the assessment findings and reflect the conclusions and recommendations.
The report should be addressed to the Vendor Inspection Division (VID) and copies
may be distributed as needed to: MSSD, PMT, AOCIU/Quality Group and
Equipment RSA. The report must include as a minimum the following items:

¾ Introduction that provides description of the plant being surveyed, Plant Products,
and surveying organizations.

¾ Summary of the Survey key highlights including: activities done during the visit,
plant competencies, and any concerns or limitations.

¾ Recommendations.

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

¾ Detailed description of the facility tour (e.g. list of plant equipment, manufacturing,
inspection equipment, spare parts, etc.)

¾ Attachment of the completed facility survey Table.

Revision Summary
14 April 2007 New Saudi Aramco Best Practice.

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

Appendix A – Survey Form

Rotating Equipment Manufacturing Facility Survey

Survey Date: Location:
Facility: Components:
Equipment:
Attending Engineers:

I - Pre-Visit Preparation
ITEM
ISSUE COMMENTS
NO.
1 Obtain a factory invitation letter.
Send latest copy of relevant S.A. Material
2 Standards to the factory for their review and
discussion during the visit.
Request a list of sub-suppliers, their locations to
visit if needed. Ask for a list of available installed
3 equipment in Saudi Arabia or Gulf region. If
possible, contact/visit local users of this
machinery and obtain feedback.
List of Materials (Products) the Vendor wants
4
approved.
Obtain a list of the company's product range and
5
manufacturing location(s) of specified products.
Obtain an organizational chart for the specified
6 manufacturing plant to show all available
facilities.
7 Obtain a copy of the Quality Manual.

8 Obtain a copy of the ISO-9001 Certificate.

Does the company have an Engineering
Department?
If YES, to whom does it report to?
How many engineers are employed?
What are their qualifications and their
disciplines?
9
Obtain an organizational chart of the Engineering
Department.
If not available, then who provides the
engineering support and design?
Are any outside design consultants used? If yes,
who are they?
10 Obtain equipment users reference list
11 List of suppliers

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

Rotating Equipment Manufacturing Facility Survey

II - During Visit
ITEM
ISSUE COMMENTS
NO.
Opening Meeting: State the visit objectives and
1
confirm the Scope of Supply.
Review the organization chart and establish reporting
2
priorities.
Is production licensed from Original Equipment
3
Manufacturer (OEM)?
4 When was the facility built?
5 No. of employees?
6 How many engineers?
7 What are the products manufactured at this facility?
What is the Manufacturer's Product Range? What are
8 the products or equipment manufactured at this
facility?
9 What is the product historical production?
How are the designs done? Design procedures?
10
Departments involved?
If the equipment design performed in-house, where is
11 the engineering work performed? Is any of the
engineering work outsourced?
12 What are the design and analysis tools used?
Obtain an explanation on how design changes or
13
special repair procedures are reviewed and approved.
Where are the machinery auxiliaries designed and
14
manufactured?
15 Do you conduct tests to validate the designs?
What is the products' mean time between failures
16
(MTBF)?
How do you determine what material to use for what
17
component?
Does the company have an R&D department? If not,
18
do they have any type of technology programs?
19 What are the new developed technologies?
How do you phase-in technological improvement? Is it
20
done thru application engineering?
Do you have a Testing Department? Who manages
21
it? And who does he report to?
22 What equipment packages are tested?
23 Where are the conducted tests?
What testing equipment/instrumentation is available &
24
used?

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

Rotating Equipment Manufacturing Facility Survey

II - During Visit (Cont'd)
ITEM
ISSUE COMMENTS
NO.
25 Who is responsible for test instrument calibration?
How is the equipment/instrument certification
26
maintained?
Is there a program in place to update the test
27
equipment?
How is the test data collected? Manually or
28 automated? What kind of software is used to compile
the test date?
What are the testing equipment capabilities and
29
limitations?
30 What balancing capability is available?
Are rotordynamic and torsional analyses done in-
31
house?

32 How do you verify/prove support stiffnesses?

Are there limitations in handling/dealing with different
33
materials types?
How is the material quality verified against
34
requirement?
Does the company conduct positive material
35 identification (PMI) examination to verify the chemical
composition of the component material of interest?
Does the company have a metallurgical laboratory
and/or materials test laboratory?
If YES,
Is it certified by a third part laboratory?
36
Is there any standard check/test program for incoming
materials? (e.g. PMI program?)
If NO, how and when is the material composition and
quality verified?
Does the company use any third party laboratories for
37
analysis? If so, who?
Does the company perform its own failure analysis on
38
material? If not, who does it?
Does the company have a safety manual for the
39
metallurgical and chemistry laboratories?
What are the facility capabilities in terms of
40
manufacturing capacity and engineering?
What is the percentage of manufacturing done in-
41
house?
Identify manufacturing facilities of other key
42
components?

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

Rotating Equipment Manufacturing Facility Survey

II - During Visit (Cont'd)
ITEM
ISSUE COMMENTS
NO.
43 Where are the cast parts manufactured?
How is the casting quality of raw castings confirmed
44
from suppliers? Do you produce sand or die castings?
Does the company manufacture its own seals,
45 bearings, lube systems etc.?
If not, who does the design and its verification?
What is the welding fabrication quality, and machine
46
tool capability?

What is the rejection rate of internally manufactured

47
parts, and customer rejects?

Does the company have heat treatment and stress

48 relieving facilities? If so, what control methods are
used to ensure proper treatment?
How many welding procedure and welding maps are
49
approved?
Obtain list of agents that approved those welding
50
documents.
Do the approved procedures cover all manufacturing
51
activities?
Inspect finished products on assembly floor to confirm
52 quality of manufacturing and assembly as per the
approved ITP and drawings.
How do you handle field problems?
53
Do they provide field support in the event of failure?
Is the field support provided by the same engineering
54 department or do they have a specific field support
division?
55 Do they have any current unresolved field problems?
Does the company provide bulletins on product
56
upgrades/problems or alerts?
How does the vendor track worldwide issues and
57
technical alerts?
58 Are there existing installed products problems?
What improvements are being offered as compared to
59
competitors?
Does the manufacturer acknowledge and confirm
60 compliance to all applicable SAMSS, SAES's, and
SA-175 Forms?
What international standards and codes does the
61
company either meet or try to follow?
Do they have a list of exceptions of these standards?
62
Obtain a copy and discuss.

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Document Responsibility: Gas Turbines and Diesel Engines SABP-G-010
Issue Date: 14 April 2007 Guidelines for Surveying Manufacturing
Next Planned Update: 13 April 2012 Facilities of Rotating Equipment

Rotating Equipment Manufacturing Facility Survey

II - During Visit (Cont'd)
ITEM
ISSUE COMMENTS
NO.
Does the Manufacturer have access to all
63
international standards?
64 Is the manufacturing facility certified and by who?
65 What certifications does the facility have?
66 What is the implemented quality system?
Is Six Sigma implemented throughout, including
67
design?
68 What types of audits are conducted?
What is your procedure for developing and tracking
69 drawings and updates to avoid future design
problems?
Do the plant workers have easy access to the latest
70
design modifications and updated drawing?
71 How are the process documents stored?
Check documentation of quality control issues. Is
72 there a feedback loop from both customers and
internally?
Does the vendor have an engineering training
73
program?
How long does the vendor save the engineering
74
documents?

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