AMPP India Chapter (Formerly NACE International Gateway India Section) organized a three-hour “Industry Connect” Meeting on the evening of 31st March 2022 at Crowne Plaza, Okhla which was attended by 16 AMPP members including eminent CP Faculty – Mr. Hasan Sabri who had come to India to conduct the AMPP CP Level 3 course at IOCL. The members comprised representatives from major organizations- Asset Owners like IOCL & BPCL, Engineering consultants- EIL, Contractors - Corrxperts, Service providers- Perma Pipe, Alethe labs, Dehn India and suppliers- Seal for life Industries.
The agenda of the meeting was to network with the members of the AMPP India Chapter and to acquaint them with the newly formed AMPP – “Association for Materials Protection & Performance” after the merger of NACE International and SSPC (Society for Surface Protective Coatings).
The meeting started with a warm welcome address by Mr. K B Singh, Chairman- AMPP India Chapter. He presented the AMPP India Chapter’s goals of creating a wider connection with Industry and academia by contributing to the field of corrosion. He explained the new age problems currently faced in the industry and how collectively finding solutions can change the way forward. He explained the importance of being an AMPP member with the significance of certifications and training along with Industry conferences like CORCON 2022 which will be held at Udaipur from 15-17th September 2022.
The members were shown the importance of the Industry Connect and each one was then asked to present their views of being an important stakeholder in the corrosion industry.
Firstly, the AMPP faculty, Mr. Hasan Sabri, Specialist of Kuwait Oil Company was thanked for conducting the AMPP certification CP Level 3 course at IOCL. He gave his vital input on becoming an AMPP Instructor and how it helps both the industry and the instructor towards career advancement.
Dr. SS Gupta, former Ex- Executive Director –Maintenance & Inspection – IOCL and currently the advisor for AMPP India- North zone team provided his input on how mandatory AMPP certifications can change the face of India. His contribution towards getting the course on the calendar during his tenure was appreciated.
Ms. Nivedita Bhattacharya, General Manager Specialist Materials & Maintenance, EIL, explained how EIL- Engineers India Limited is looking forward to a possible collaboration with AMPP India Chapter for dissipating training and certification courses for the betterment of the industry at large.
Mr. Anil Meghani, General Manager (Maintenance and Inspection) IOCl gave an update about the recent introduction of AMPP Certified CP Level 1 engineers in the upcoming tenders of IOCL. He explained the importance of introducing AMPP certifications in tender documents and how it would positively impact the industry. He also said that further changes will be subsequently made in the long run.
Mr. Vikas Almadi, Director & CEO- Dehn India explained the importance of academic involvement in the Corrosion industry and how a pool of engineers interested in this field can be attracted. With their newly launched Dehn Academy, they intend to contribute towards introducing new corrosion curriculums with a focus on job opportunities for aspiring students.
Dr. Jaya Rawat, Chief Manager, Corporate R&D, BPCL, explained how Internal corrosion and microbial corrosion continue to remain a matter which is not widely discussed. She emphasized the importance of technical talks and other important training and courses which can help corrosion professionals to look into the industry with a wide lens of both Internal and External corrosion in the field.
Mr. Varun Nidhi, Co-founder & Chief Technical Officer, Alethe Labs explained the importance of artificial intelligence technology in the corrosion industry and how even computer science students can get attracted to this buzzing new technology. The introduction of a digital twin of the field pipeline can help an engineer make smart decisions by foreseeing anticipated problems and issues.
Mr. Abhishek Kapur, Regional Sales Director - India Seal for life emphasized the importance of AMPP certifications for Field QA & QC Engineers to improve the quality of application of field joint coatings.
Mr. Rajeev Sharma, Consultant, and Mr. Rakesh Thakur- Director- Perma Pipe also provided their valuable inputs on association with AMPP and the Industry Connect benefits.
Mr. Samir Shankar, BU lead- Dehn India, Ms. Vartika Uprety, KB Singh and Associates, and Debasish Bora, Director- Corrxperts were also present in the meeting.
AMPP India Chapter staff members- Mr. Manoj Mishra and Ms. Amarjeet Bains thanked the members for their valuable contributions in their field. They explained how the pandemic had changed the dynamics of training & meetings through online mode while also appreciating the fact that in-person meetings and training have been started for vital networking.
Mr. K B Singh, Chairman – AMPP India Chapter, delivered the Vote of Thanks with a sense of gratitude for the contributions made and a positive outlook on the future of the Corrosion industry with AMPP.
Mr. K B Singh – Chairman AMPP India Chapter delivered the welcome address and introduced the new AMPP India chapter after the merger of NACE India and SSPC India
Importance of AMPP stakeholders
Mr. Hasan Sabri explained the importance of being an AMPP Instructor
Dr. S S Gupta explained current industry challenges
Ms. Nivedita Bhattacharya discussed about the possible opening of training institute of EIL in collaboration with AMPP