Intertek Ensures Business Continuity of Vendor Inspection Services in the Oil and Gas Sector with Innovative Remote Inspection Solution

Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide is increasing the availability of its innovative Remote Video Inspection (RVI) service, a technological solution driven by its Total Quality Assurance experts, to ensure business continuity of critical vendor inspection services across the oil and gas supply chain during the current health and safety site restrictions. 

With the unprecedented global spread of Covid-19, governments and businesses around the world are taking steps to respond to the outbreak and to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of their people. These actions also impact International Oil Companies (IOCs) and National Oil Companies (NOCs) based in the Middle East and North Africa region and their regional and international vendors that have implemented policies to restrict the access of third parties to their sites to undertake crucial audit and inspection services. 

As a leading global provider of third-party vendor inspection solutions, Intertek’s Technical Inspection Services business is well-prepared and has rapidly adapted to the constantly evolving environment by digitalising some of its processes to become contactless, while continuing to help global customers maintain critical business continuity, supply chain requirements and manufacturing schedules. 

Through remote live video streaming and smart phone technology, Intertek’s technical specialist inspectors can remain home-based during travel and access restrictions while still leading the inspection activities within the client premises. Customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Egypt can interact with the Intertek technical specialist to ask questions and visualise the experience. As the inspections are undertaken in real-time, in the event that potential issues are identified during the inspection, follow-up actions can be discussed without delay, resulting in productivity gains and faster issues resolution times. 

Intertek’s RVI solution has been deployed to companies throughout the world and the Middle East so that the company’s vendor inspection activities can continue to deliver the essential value that protects end-user clients and their supply chains from exposure to quality defect risks. Driven by Intertek’s global network of expert and experienced technical specialists, and supported by security protocols and standard operating procedures, the RVI solution enables quality control, inspection, and quality assurance activities to continue without compromising safety and quality and irrespective of location. 

Hussain Al Atrakchi, Vice President of Intertek Industry Services for Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia, explained: “Health and safety restrictions are real challenges for Intertek’s clients who wish to safeguard business continuity whenever authorised access is limited. The remote inspection team helps clients ensure their equipment comply with the required specifications and that their projects stay on schedule by minimising disruptions to their supply chain. When measured in hours saved by technicians, the RVI solution can lead to up to 70% productivity gain. The issue resolution time also becomes 20% faster by using the Intertek RVI App and smart technologies in real-time.”