Fri, 28 January, 2022
TWI Certification Limited (TWI CL), Company Certification Group client MG Vowgas Limited is a market leader in engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC), and fabrication services for the oil and gas industry. Since beginning operations in 2006 the company, which is located in Port Harcourt and a member of the MG Vowgas Group, has grown over the years into a conglomerate with huge investments in the engineering, fabrication and maritime industries in Nigeria. With around 250 staff, its services include fabrication and installation, maintenance and repair, turnkey projects, specialist subsea engineering and marine support.
In 2021, MG Vowgas approached TWI CL as it wished to embark on TWI CL’s Welding Fabricator Certification Scheme (WFCS) which enables welding fabricators to demonstrate compliance with the ISO 3834 Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials. WFCS is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and provides independent verification of a company's welding and fabricating capabilities, and compliance with European and international standards.
MG Vowgas successfully completed WFCS assessment, achieving compliance with ISO 3834, and we recently caught up with John Emeka Aniekwe, QA/QC Manager who led the company’s participation in the assessment process, in conjunction with TWI CL, to find out more.
John is responsible for welding co-ordination and is the primary liaison with customers, subcontractors and vendors for welding related jobs and code items. We asked John first why the company sought this type of certification through TWI CL. “We decided to apply for WFCS because it would provide documented proof of our ability to produce high-quality products, following a welding management system to the most stringent requirements, in accordance with the ISO 3834 Standard,” said John, “and we chose TWI CL as our certification body because it is recognised worldwide as a leader in certification, and in welding through its TWI parent company.
John believes that MG Vowgas has benefited from achieving ISO 3834 compliance through WFCS with the team at TWI CL Company Certification Group, because it has enabled the company to increase its efficiency as well as attract many new business opportunities. In addition, it means the company is able to assure its clients that they do not need to rely on inspection and testing because MG Vowgas has built quality into its welding processes, ensuring its products are fit for purpose.
As MG Vowgas gained their certification during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were keen to find out from John how he felt their experience of gaining certification went in such unprecedented times. “It presented a lot of challenges because business activity was lower than usual, which resulted in leaner resources available to finance the certification process.“ explained John “Our workers were required to work under strict COVID-19 protocols and we also realised that strong electronic media was required.”
John also told us that “From a personal perspective I have gained lots of benefits as a result of my involvement in the company going ahead with WFCS and successfully achieving compliance with ISO 3834, especially greater fulfilment in my job role and opportunities for career growth.”
Lastly, we asked John if MG Vowgas is planning on gaining any other certifications and he replied that “When the business returns to normal, we would like to undertake BS EN 1090 Part 2 Certification in accordance with TWI CL’s Conformity Assessment of the Execution of Steel and Aluminium Structures (CAESAS) scheme, in order to provide our clients with documented proof of our ability to execute steel structures.”
If you are considering the Welding Fabricator Certification Scheme for your company, or would like to find out more about it, then simply visit the WFCS webpages to find out more.