Unimit Engineering reaps rewards for focus on quality

A consistent focus on quality is crucial in the engineering and fabrication business. Unimit Engineering, a leading steel fabricator in Thailand's oil and gas, petrochemicals, power and energy industries, has proven this with stable financial results despite past economic crises. Market expansion is driving demand for the company's expertise, with new orders nearing the peak level reached in 2007.

"We see the trend of more demand for repair and maintenance work," says John Lu, Unimit Engineering co-president. "Petrochemical companies are either expanding their capacities or upgrading plant equipment that is 10 to 15 years old, while oil refineries are upgrading their systems to comply with Euro IV standards. We've been involved in their expansion cycle."

Most orders are from long-standing customers. Unimit has been certified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers with ASME "U", "U2", "R" and "S" stamps for more than 20 years. It was the first local Thai fabricator of storage tanks for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It remains the market leader in this segment and is unmatched locally in fabricating columns that can be 120 metres long.

Among a select few international fabricators that can produce high-pressure vessels of up to 5 inches in thickness, Unimit is on the approved vendors list of Thailand's leading petrochemical and oil and gas players such as PTT and its family of subsidiary companies. With its certifications for quality management systems (ISO 9001), workplace safety (OHSAS 18001) and environmental standards (ISO 14001), the company has also worked with most international engineering, procurement and construction firms from the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.

"We are a cost-effective quality fabricator and our job references go back 30 years," Lu says.

"With managers who have been with us for 15 to 30 years, we keep the expertise within the company."