Aramco, which went public in 2019, is the world’s largest oil and gas company. Based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the company produces around ten percent of global crude oil and is one of the most profitable corporations in the world. Our site in Duisburg and the DYLAN sites in Oud-Beijerland and Oud-Gastel are three of only 19 approved suppliers worldwide. This partnership was renewed last year.

The background is the re-certification as a supplier, as Roshan de Alwis, Project Manager at the Duisburg site and member of the responsible competence team, explains to us: "Aramco carries out regular audits every three to five years to ensure that its suppliers meet the high-quality standards". But what exactly does this process look like? "First of all, you receive a questionnaire which you work through together with various departments such as Quality Management, Quality Assurance, Warehousing, Treasury, Legal and the management," says Roshan de Alwis. "An auditor from Aramco then checks on site and during a warehouse inspection, whether the information from the questionnaire is correct," he adds. In doing so, attention is paid to the structure, the goods control, the stored material and other factors. "Not only the material stored for Aramco is checked, but also other products in order to assess us as a supplier in general," explains Roshan de Alwis.

The demands on material and logistics are high: the goods must go directly from the factory to the warehouse and from there directly to the project. In some cases, the plant must also enclose an authentication letter stating exactly when the products were manufactured and in what dimensions and heats they were delivered. There are also authorized inspectors on site at the plant to inspect the material during production. Only then can the pipes be stored. But here, too, there are strict storage requirements. Accordingly, BUHLMANN's efforts are correspondingly high. "When orders are received, we start with a kick-off meeting and involve many departments for this purpose, but cooperation with everyone is excellent", Roshan de Alwis praises the colleagues.

By the way, the BUHLMANN GROUP is approved for pipes, fittings and flanges, which can also be delivered at short notice. Among other projects for the gas compression plant in Fadhili or the oil refinery in Ras Tanura, for example, if repairs are necessary. The partnership with Aramco is very important for the Group, not only because the demanding requirements match the premium quality of the products offered: "We are one of only a few approved suppliers, which on the one hand contributes significantly to the company's success and on the other hand is a prestige object for the entire GROUP," says Roshan de Alwis. Because the strict requirements show that certification is definitely a privilege.