Business View Magazine | September 2019

312 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 BVM: What are the biggest challenges in the nuclear industry, from your perspective? Tremblay: “The challenges are more faced by manufacturers. With all the restrictions to how material is purchased and the inspections they have to go through in manufacturing, it’s a very long process to provide nuclear code valves – with a lot of potential hiccups along the way that can cause setbacks. That’s the main issue during manufacturing; the amount of QA requirements that go into it.” Fournier: “One of our biggest challenges, since the equipment was made long ago and the products last so long, is obsolescence. And supporting these old products that are still working with parts that the customers need. The equipment just keeps getting older and older and the manufacturers are moving forward with new products. Getting them to stay on board with keeping those old legacy products available and supported is becoming more of a challenge.” Salvo: “What we’re looking at now is that both Bruce Power and OPG have committed a tremendous amount of money and effort to refurbish both plants. The other issue is the Pickering facility that was slated to close in 2024 and there have been rumors about extending life on that. And there was also discussion about putting in a new unit somewhere. Our goals, short- term, are working on these plants and assisting and supporting them with product. “Because the plants are so old and a lot of products are obsolete, a number of manufacturers are not supporting these products any longer, and that’s putting a damper on the nuclear industry. They try to avoid the cost and effort of replacement, but they’re at a point where they’re going to have to make some changes. We were told by OPG that they’re looking at options that may become available during this refurbishment. So, short-term, that could be an opportunity for us.” BVM: What objectives are on the agenda for the next five years? Tremblay: “Internally, Contro Valve has been implementing digital systems for tracking orders. There’s a lot of moving parts with nuclear orders, a lot of different people involved at the customer end and the factory end. We have an in-house person who designs custom software to help us efficiently manage these orders. So, we’re continuing to grow that side of things to ensure we’re as efficient as possible. With this digital system, we’re going paperless, and even our technicians are moving that way. “The big thing is the refurbishment projects at OPG and Bruce Power; they’ll be ongoing for years to come. We’re getting a lot of business as they are shutting these units down longer and replacing valves that they didn’t have the opportunity to do before. The nuclear industry is slow to evolve – five years from now, we fully intend to be right in the middle of these refurbishments, give the support, and make sure it is successful, so they keep receiving funding and the industry stays strong in Ontario.” Fournier: “We are committed to being that voice for the nuclear industry to the manufacturers and, hopefully, address their issues of obsolescence; to represent the end user to the manufacturers and keep stressing their needs. We strive to be a top- tier customer for the nuclear industry and we’re inspired to continue to improve on areas that help us and the industry to get better.” PREFERRED VENDOR n Flowserve www.flowserve.com