Total Quality Management Applications on the Zinc Subsea Production System

Abstract

Abstract The concepts of early quality planning, and team approach, are key elementsof the Total Quality Management (TQM) program that was applied by ExxonCompany, U.S.A. during the execution of the Zinc Subsea Production SystemProject. This paper describes how these elements were applied during initialdesign and specification development, vendor and/or contractor selection, procurement, detail engineering, documentation and configuration control, manufacturing and fabrication, testing and system integration, and finallysystem installation. Introduction Deep water projects necessitate the application of recent advances intechnology and equipment, as well as the utilization of diversified humanresources, both from within the producing company's own organization, as wellas from the multitude of contractor and consulting organizations that alsocontribute to the project. In today's environment, where reduced budgets, enhanced safety, and aggressive schedules are becoming customary, a higheremphasis on procedural and equipment quality and reliability is imperative toensure that the end product will meet the performance standards that arerequired and expected. This emphasis on quality must begin during the earlystages of the project, where quality planning must be stressed over reliance oninspection to find latent defects. The Zinc Subsea Production System was managed by a Project Team from ExxonU.S.A.'s Offshore Division (now Southeastern Division) based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Under the direction of the Project Leader, the core Team consistedof engineers from the Division's Production Technology group. Other groupswithin the Division, such as Geology, Reservoir Engineering, Operations, Drilling, and Contracts, and other Company groups outside the Division, such asExxon Production Research Co. and Headquarters Purchasing, assisted with expertadvice and services, as required. Consultants were added to the Team to providespecialty services in the areas of cost and schedule control, system interfacecontrol, and ROV (remote operated vehicle) interfacing, as well as to helpdefine and implement the project Quality Assurance program. The various Zinc contractors included engineering firms, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, fabricators, hydraulic system and testing specialists, ROV operators, and installation companies. The work was performed in severallocations primarily in the U.S., but also in England, France, and Japan.