(Pictured from l to r: Swagelok Southeast Texas’ Chris Ori and Chris Jones, and Ci’s Matthew Macaluso)
Do you ever consider your company, operation and responsibilities and think "What if I had access to experts who could increase my production speed?" If you did, what could you accomplish?
Do any of these other issues sound familiar?
- "I could use assistance with forecasting."
- "I wish I had help with supply chain management."
- "I need a second set of eyes ensuring reliability."
- "I wish I had access to certified engineers."
They sound familiar to Swagelok Southeast Texas, because our clients have relayed those concerns to us for years. And we've been listening. Charbonneau Industries is just one example of how we were able to provide help in those areas, and fuel growth.
Charbonneau Industries responding to needs of customers pays off
Charbonneau Industries, or Ci, is a brand-neutral master distributor and integrated supplier of engineered products and services. Its focus on quality and responsiveness through a unique stocking strategy has propelled the company’s growth.
Located in Houston, Texas among a network of the most critical gas pipeline infrastructure on the planet, Charbonneau Industries (Ci)’s Matthew Macaluso, Mechanical Engineer for Ci, describes what they do. “Think about your house and anything in it that runs off of natural gas. There is a vast network of pipelines that need to be kept safe and running at all times. At Ci we provide full packages, not only valves, but entire assemblies that help with integration and automation, and keep those lines working optimally.”
Bob Hamilton, Senior VP of Service and Repair for Ci, says “People trust Charbonneau Industries because we’ve been here awhile. We have a reputation for quality. We keep about $120 million of inventory on the floor, and have about $150 million on order at any given time – that $270 million investment in what we are doing is a considerable amount, and one that our customers take seriously.” The reason that is so important is if their customer’s facilities go down, they could be losing $100,000 per hour. Ci’s ability to respond to them or get them a replacement piece of equipment is critical.
Chris Jones, President of Swagelok Southeast Texas describes “What makes Charbonneau Industries different is their business model. They really play a vital role for midstream customers in the market.” As a valued partner, Swagelok Southeast Texas is making significant investments in their local inventory to support Ci’s growth, help with forecasting, as well as providing Custom Solutions to grow their volume and help them preserve their labor for more value-added work on behalf of their customers.
Swagelok Custom Solutions enables growth through fabrication and assembly services
Right now, Swagelok Southeast Texas is making DTR - differential thermal relief - assemblies for Ci. Many of the valves they put together have a DTR on them so by assembling this for Charbonneau to their specs ahead of time, they are saving immense time and labor.
“Being able to request that Swagelok deliver a customized product in a quick and timely manner takes a burden off of our operations,” explains Matthew.
Charbonneau Industries’ system reliability makes it a safety leader
As Bob and Matthew point out, the systems that Ci supplies make it absolutely critical that they work reliably and accurately. When a pipeline requires maintenance or needs to be taken offline, a valve not performing that does not allow for shutting down flow has implications down the line. These pipelines run along interstates, they go through cities, through neighborhoods – they are everywhere. “It is absolutely essential that these systems perform when they need to,” emphasized Matthew.
Collaboration with Swagelok generates confidence and trust
“I see our actuators and valves that come back after 20 years with Swagelok parts on them and they still work… they still hold pressure,” shares Curtis Butts, Supervisor for Charbonneau.
Swagelok is a credential for many customers. “Our customers will call out Swagelok products because they know they work. If you use Swagelok products as your ‘go-to’, you typically have met everyone’s spec,” relays Bob. “The value of high quality products, especially in the industries we serve is they don’t have to do it again - you don’t have to fix what you sell. They don’t have time for it. They don’t have downtime to spare. So you put the product out there the first time right, every time, those customers are coming back every time.”
That is the value of quality.
Don't take our word for it. See Charbonneau's strategy in action and hear from their team:
Learn more about Swagelok Southeast Texas' fabricated assembly solutions and what they can do for your operation.
