For consumers, product purchase verification is simple. It means opening a package or trying a product to see that what you paid for is what you get. For businesses, the process is much different. Product purchase verification is actually serious business that requires full-time professionals with engineering degrees. The concept is important to consider both for compliance and professional reasons.

The most important component of purchased product verification is actually certifying that the product was delivered. Even a medium sized company has many good coming and going across different warehouses and locations. It is impossible for one person to physically verify every delivery. For that reason, logging every delivery in an accounting or compliance system is crucial. After the delivery is logged, it can be tracked and utilized for production or distribution. Product purchase verification also sets off the accounts payable timeline.

The next most important factor is that the product delivered meets the quality standard expected. Products that have a chemical composition such as LNG, diesel or heating oil require an engineer or chemist to verify that the product is correct. They then log the information into a software or compliance management solution to confirm the quality information.

Lastly, product purchase verification is crucial for safety. The delivered product should be stored and contained in a package that prevents it from harming workers. Additionally, it should not be placed next to any other material that could produce a strong combustible reaction. Again, professional engineers or compliance professionals must work on this process to assure nobody is injured. They log information into an online system and carefully monitor the placement of all products.

Accupoint Software is a leading provider of compliance management tools for the petroleum industry. For more information on solutions to manage purchased product verification,  please contact us today.

How well do you know your supply chain?  A supply chain is only strong as its weakest link. When it comes to controlling your suppliers, the better you are at understanding the entire chain and identifying weak links, the better your company will be in the long run.
 
The recently released API Spec Q1 9th Edition – Addendum 2 focuses on supply chain controls, specifically relating to multi-tier suppliers. As you are aware, Q1 has always required us to manage our supply chain.  However, the revised requirements expand the controls to include associated (tier 2 & 3 level) suppliers that are essential for product realization.
 
To that end, in today’s post we will focus on a couple of tips to improve the effectiveness of your supply chain controls.

• Understand the big picture. Gather performance data on each supplier in the chain and update it constantly.  If your data only includes some vendors or incomplete performance data, the picture of your supply chain is as incomplete as a jigsaw puzzle missing half the pieces. Without concrete data, you may have an idea of potential snags but ultimately you are guessing.  As a result, you're not able to make the best decisions on how to resolve issues that could impact operations.

 

• Use integrated technology to manage your supply chain.  Technology enables more efficient and effective data collection and analysis, giving you increased response time to head off potential problems.  In addition, by using integrated technology you can improve communications with relevant stakeholders resulting in minimized disruptions to production.
  

An efficient supply chain control program enables your company to reduce costs, minimize risk and satisfy customer expectations.  For more information on how Accupoint Software can help your organization to improve your supply chain control program, please contact us today.

With the changing landscape of the oil and gas industry, companies are under increasing pressure to improve operational efficiencies as prices continue to remain low and margins are narrowed. In order to reduce costs and increase efficiency, many service supply organizations are implementing API Spec Q2.

Accupoint’s SAM™ solution ensures compliance and the correct documentation to meet the API Q2 requirements. It defines strategies, goals and best practices and the means to secure them. Our system provides industry best practices for all components including: service quality, risk assessment, employee training, document control, MOC, corrective actions and preventive maintenance. A comprehensive solution may seem difficult for an industry with such vast core areas to cover; however, incorporating common standards of practice is essential to realizing integrated process management and operational excellence simultaneously.

The bottom line: API Spec Q2 tells your customers that you are at the top of your class and aiming for the best in quality and delivery of services, ultimately ensuring customer loyalty, operational efficiency and growth.

Please contact us today for more information on our family of quality management systems specific to the petroleum industry.

During the stages of conception, designing, building, operating, and decommissioning in the petroleum industry, a quantitative risk analysis is a primary tool used to analyze the safety and risk management in an effort to control hazards and operate safely. The quantitative risk analysis can identify potential hazards, determine the likelihood of them occurring, and the consequences of the hazard should it arise.
 
Why Quantify Risk?
Your company needs to be reliable and safe in the competitive petroleum industry. The potential harm to employees, the environment, assets, reputation and the local community should be priority number one. 

How Do You Quantify Risk?
In most scenarios, the use of a HAZID can be applied. A HAZID can help identify the potential risks during installation or operation of your company's work. Often, a hazard can become a series of hazards as they break down into a plethora of hazards, also known as an event tree. That is, when one operation breaks down, the HAZID can pinpoint the likelihood of the consequential events that may happen. Not only can the HAZID determine what might happen next, the HAZID can also quantify the probability of the events to follow.

Planning for the Future
With the risk analysis tools in place, your company can easily plan for the future by identifying your risks and quantifying the likelihood of their occurrence. With proper risk management, your company can avoid unnecessary costs, downtime, and injury to workers. 

For more information on how Accupoint’s solutions can help you manage your risk assessment process, please contact us today.