Read a story from life of a paint inspector

March 18, 2014

Company Paint-Inspector.Com functions as a mediator between independent paint inspectors and clients who need to secure their project and who are looking for professional services. We are glad to bring you view from this job directly from one of inspectors.

My name is Jacek Tymczuk and I’m coating inspector for last several years. I have gained my stripes working for coating manufacturing company. I have run my freelancing consultancy for last few years, mostly based in Asia and EU.

I do participate in new-building offshore project in Korea at the moment. The project is scheduled for approximately two years.

The entire coating specification is written in very high and sophisticated level. Surface preparation is in highest grade of abrasive blasting as per ISO standard. Mechanical or power tool cleaning is not specified in the entire project. The coating material is selected as per the very long service life time. Glass flake reinforced epoxy coating, silicone – foul released coating and PFP (passive fire protection) materials are commonly used.

I consider participation in this project as an extra ordinary challenge, since the standards and investor expectations are very high. The entire team consists of high class coating specialists, considering client, paint manufacturer and QM/QC members it would be approximately fifteen persons at the beginning stage. These figures will be doubled while project will be in full speed. I would like to say it is a pleasure to work and cooperate with them.

I let myself to point out some of my thoughts in regards to our duties. I have collected them during my entire career and I would like to share them with you.

Every project is different and it is not easy to justify the client expectation at the preface stage of it.

The basic and fundamental key rules are usually related to the quality and time frame.

During my adventure with coating projects I have seen many inspectors who could not merge theoretical and practical approach resulting in complete fail, whether the delay cost an investor a fortune or lack of time caused incompletion or significant reduction of quality in order to aim the target deadline.

Project runs by professional and experience manufacturer/subcontractor are far easier to control, however in my carrier I have been working in the places where applicators could not plan well paint works as well as could not match coating part into the entire production schedule.

Investor usually expects to complete project on time with acceptable/specified quality. Considering myself as a coating inspector, working in behalf of the client in many occasions I have to act as a planner, supervisor and QM/QC.

Cooperation between involved parties in this case: investor, general contractor (shipyard, subcontractor, manufacturer) and paint manufacturer is a key point in achievement of desirable result. There is no way that one can manage to successfully complete assignment. Again I have seen quite a number of inspectors who use to try to do “everything on their own”, it showed that they were not well prepared to this job and usually ends up badly.

Investors usually do not have much of idea about the coating technology therefore they employ us; however those who try to proof their knowledge making wrong decisions are the most dangerous.

Most of the places I have been working before use to have clear specifications and quite professional manufacturers; therefore there was not much room for “IMO Standards” (in this case IMO stands for “In My Opinion”).

Good inspector has to have a sufficient knowledge and experience to predict certain effects of previously taken decisions, since there is no one way to complete successfully project. The specification is prepared in far earlier stage than project commencing. Situation often requires modifications which are done on the spot, important if this is done with approval of all involved parties. Meetings and discussion are appropriate to confirm changings. The new-building projects are easier to control in this respect; however coating maintenance/ refurbishment quite often exposes situations where time frame limitation is a priority.

Resuming, in my opinion experience is far more valuable than certificates.  In the modern world where new projects are built within the extreme short period of time there is no much room for mistakes or wrong decisions.

I would like to wish all of you best of luck in the field of coating inspections and please do remember cooperation and teamwork will let you complete your assignment with better result than you expect.