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- - By HgTX (***) Date 11-25-2008 22:56
If XXXXX company has done work to AWS codes before...

WHY DON'T THEY KNOW WHAT TESTS YOU NEED TO RUN TO QUALIFY A PROCEDURE?
WHY CAN'T THEY CALCULATE HEAT INPUT RIGHT?
WHY DO THEY TRY TO ARGUE WITH ME WHEN I POINT THIS STUFF OUT?

That is all.  Thank you very much.

Hg
Parent - - By hogan (****) Date 11-25-2008 22:59
But that's how they've always done it.
Parent - By Superflux (****) Date 11-25-2008 23:18
Hg,
in a word, INCOMPETENCE! They are unsure of their methods because A)always dunit disaway, B) getting the best bang for their $ by getting you to do their job for them, ie. Laziness...they're too busy playing fantasy Nascar and selling football squares.
Parent - By HgTX (***) Date 11-26-2008 19:02
I should point out to anyone who recognizes me on this board...of course I'm not talking about you!  I'm talking about those other guys.

Hg
Parent - - By pipewelder_1999 (****) Date 11-26-2008 19:54
Maybe -- They could have always used prequalified procedures or SWP's

Maybe -- Heat input does not always have to be calculated.

Maybe they need someone like you to help them along and when the argue with you, they are learning what the need to know.

Of course thos are all speculation based on limited information but I just didn't want you to think I wasn't HEARING you .

Have a good one.

gerald
Parent - - By HgTX (***) Date 12-30-2008 17:27
For bridge work, heat input always has to be calculated.
For bridge work, prequalified procedures and SWPs aren't allowed except for stick welding.
They claimed to have D1.5 experience.
They had AISC Major Bridge certification with Fracture-Critical endorsement.

I should not have to be the one to teach them this basic stuff. They should know this stuff to have that certification, and they should know this stuff if they've really done D1.5 work (and actually worked to the spec, rather than having a copy on their shelves while doing whatever they feel like in the shop).

What makes it even more fun is that we had a supposedly experienced consultant who was handling quality assurance for us, and *they* didn't see anything wrong.

Good lord.  I'm not sure if I'm more annoyed with the fabricator, the consultant, or AISC.

And this isn't the first fabricator I've run into this level of ignorance with. 

Grrr.

Hg
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-02-2009 18:03
Their ignorance is our profit. If they know what they were doing, they wouldn't need us.

Best regards - Al
Parent - - By 3.2 Inspector (***) Date 01-02-2009 18:34
I agree with Al.
Their stupidity is making us rich :)

3.2
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-02-2009 18:47
I don't know about rich, but it is a comfortable living for a person such as me.:)

Best regards - Al
Parent - - By 3.2 Inspector (***) Date 01-02-2009 19:05
Yes, comfortable is the right word.
How is the inspection game at the moment in the US?

I just read that the steel producers only produces half of what they produced short time ago.

3.2
Parent - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-02-2009 21:28
Inspection is like fishing. The fisherman doesn't know what his catch will be until he pull in his lines. The inspector doesn't know what the day will bring until the phone rings.

I've been fortunate ever since I've been certified as a CWI, now it's been some twenty plus years. As for what the new year will bring, only the "Good Lord" knows. I won't know until December 31st, 2009. Until then, I do my job the best I can and try to stay on top of my game by reading and studying.

There's never a time when I think to my self, "I know it all", because I know that's far from the truth. I try to associate with people that are smarter than me and those that I hold in high esteem. I value them as friends and I know I can count on them to offer their help when I'm totally perplexed. I try to distance myself from those individuals that think they know more than they do, are closed to new ideas or ways of doing things, or are negative about life. There's always something new to learn everyday.

I've been a CWI since 1981 and a SCWI since 1997. I've attended many CWI courses since attaining my certifications, yet I hear something new or hear a reminder of something I've forgotten every time I sit in the class as a student. If you ever have the misfortune of attending a class with me, you'll know me as the one always asking questions. If you want to leave class early, you better hope you're not in my group, because I'm there to learn as much as I can from that instructor. When I'm teaching the class and you get fidgety, I'll tell you you're free to leave anytime you want because no one is chained to their seat. I try to give value for the money you pay to attend and I try to pass on any knowledge I have to offer.

It's a wonderful world and  I want to enjoy as much of it as I can.

How's the inspection game in the U.S.? Just wonderful is my reply. I don't know of anything I would rather do. If things slow a little, so be it. It will give me more time to prepare for my next big project.

Best regards - Al 
Parent - By HgTX (***) Date 01-05-2009 15:51
Profit?  I'm supposed to be the CLIENT!!

Hg
still feeling snarky
Parent - - By CHGuilford (****) Date 01-03-2009 16:21
I'm not so sure it is really ignorance or stupidity.

I think that one of the reaons could be that some people are stretched thin:
Probably the fabricator, like many others, is juggling many projects at one time.  QC is often an overhead expense so many companies "load up the responsibilities".  It may be that one person is responsible for inspections of materials, fabrication, welding, blast & paint; for chasing down incorrect MTR's from vendors; arranging and/or performing NDE; purchasing welding consumables; running welder and PQR testing; writing procedures; going out to the field to check out problems; monitoring local subcontractors; dealing with 3rd party inspectors; and so forth.


And another reason could be that some fabricators like to play stupid: - "Just tell me what you want".  What happens is 2 things - first, they wear you down.  They push it as far as they can without going over the line.  They hope you will get tired of it and will let some things slide. 
The second thing happening is that they are setting you up for the blame- "I did it the way you said to do it!", "You gave me a list of corrections so why didn't you list them all?".  They know that memories can be long lived, but chances are the players are different the next time and it will work the next time.

Parent - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-04-2009 19:18
Good points Chet.

Al
Parent - - By HgTX (***) Date 01-05-2009 15:56
I don't have sympathy for this scenario.  If a hypothetical fabricator or contractor is not equipped to handle the hypothetical work, they shouldn't be bidding it.  They make life that much harder for those fabricators and contractors who do bother to know what they're doing.

Hg
Parent - - By 803056 (*****) Date 01-05-2009 16:26
There's a fly in the ointment. Owners typical accept the lowest bid without placing much value on past performance or recommendations from other customers. That works in my favor. That's when I get called in, after the fact, after the owner has realized there's a major problem. My job is to pick up the pieces and get the job back on track.

It isn't a perfect world and I'm thankful that it isn't.

"The owner's pain is my profit." A salesman once told me his job was to discover my "pain" and to find a way to put an end to my "pain". He was right. We never ask the dentist how much it will cost to pull the aching tooth. Just "get er done!"

Best regards - Al
Parent - By HgTX (***) Date 01-05-2009 16:28
I'm a fan of the "second-lowest bid" method.  Not that I have any say in these things...

Hg
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