INDEPENDENT Risk Management Systems (IRM Systems), the independent authority in the design of emergency pipeline repair systems (EPRS), has expanded its staff to meet growing demand for its services. The new full-time personnel are based at its headquarters in the Netherlands.

Over the course of this year, IRM Systems has landed four new clients, and have had new work contracted with existing ones.Growth is consistent with its business strategy and the increased demand made it clear that the company required additional capacity within its core team. The three new employees are senior engineer Firdaus Hadi, engineering consultant Derek Enhao Lee, and junior engineer Saad Wahid.

Firdaus Hadi, who comes from Kuala Lumpur, holds a BSc in mechanical engineering from the Universiti Industri Selangor in Malaysia and is a member of ASME. He is currently working on a pipeline integrity assessment project in South East Asia.

Derek Enhao Lee is IRM’s new engineering consultant. Originally from Singapore, he holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New South Wales, and has worked in the oil and gas industry for the past seven years. At IRM Systems, he is responsible for evaluating the EPRS needs of each client, in order to ensure that equipment and personnel conform to requirements. 

Saad Wahid, a Dutch national, has been appointed as junior engineer after gaining qualifications at the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam, and later at the Technical University of Delft. Wahid’s role is to support the engineering team with computer modelling and finite element analysis.

Since its founding in 2011, IRM continues to support an increasing number of clients, taking on additional staff and expanding its range of services within pipeline integrity. The company is growing because no other independent engineering firm in the industry offers a more experienced, in-house capability that is primarily focused on designing EPRS. EPRS are the plans, procedures and equipment in-place to ensure minimum possible downtime following an unplanned emergency. An effective EPRS will ensure the greatest post-repair integrity at the best possible cost.

“We are completely independent, so it means that we aren’t trying to push a particular technology, vessel, item of equipment or, indeed, a consumable,” says Ralph Hassall, consultant for IRM Systems. “Our clients realise this right away in the money they save when investing to protect their critical pipelines. We use a structured approach to designing each of these systems, and the breadth of experience we have now generated in this specialist area is significant.”

While the company is steadily expanding, it is still small enough to be able to offer a personal and highly responsive service. Each and every employee understands that every assignment undertaken is crucial to the company’s reputation and success. “At no point do we try and re-invent the wheel; we make sure that the solutions put forward are based on proven technology wherever possible. A complex repair operation is truly the last place you want to be introducing more unknowns and more risk,” says Hassall.

Hassall’s pride in the firm is evident. “Other engineering firms may be good ‘on paper’ but we strive to be the best ‘in practice,’” he says. “What that means is that our work covers the operational aspects of the task, such as isolation and re-commissioning, and not just the repair engineering. We have also got a very detailed and current understanding of the repair market so we are able to put together an EPRS that is, objectively-speaking, the best value that the market can offer,” he adds.

Independent Risk Management Systems (IRM Systems) is dedicated to helping pipeline operators and owners understand, mitigate and manage risks that could damage or interrupt the operation of critical pipeline networks. The company specialises in developing, implementing and operating EPRS and pipeline integrity services. These services are provided by an experienced team of risk, marine and pipeline technology specialists. Founded in 2011 by Rutger Schouten, IRM Systems operates from its headquarters in Delft, The Netherlands.