UZUC Ploiesti, the only European supplier qualified by GE for heat exchanger batteries
UZUC Ploiesti has manufactured the fractionating columns for a refinery in Prahova County (Romania), being designed and executed in accordance with EN 13445 and PED 2014/68/EU. The project was developed over five months, during January – July 2018.
This equipment serves a fractionating unit of the refinery, within which a separation is achieved based on difference in the boiling temperatures of the components boiling in a certain temperature range, from a homogeneous liquid mixture.
UZUC Ploiesti was established in 1904, being specialized in weapon production and railway wagons repair. Starting with 1953, the plant refocused its activity on Diesel engine repair and the repair of railroad containers for hazardous liquids, oil drilling equipment and other equipment for geological prospecting.
In 1959, the plant changed its activity, focusing on the manufacturing of pressure vessels for the chemical, petrochemical, energy, steel industry etc. and started the construction of new sections: Heavy Boiler Section, completed in 1961, and Mechanical Forging Section, completed in 1966.
From 1962, the company started being known as UZINA DE UTILAJ CHIMIC SI PETROLIER – Ploiesti (Chemical and Petroleum Equipment Plant).
In the ‘70s, UZUC purchased equipment for the execution of machinery for the pilot Heavy Water plant; it supplied to IRNE Pitesti (currently RENEL – I.C.N. Pitesti) ancillary equipment for the nuclear research reactor, under US license. UZUC was also the main supplier for the chemical and petroleum industry, producing machinery such as Strippers and Scrubbers for Urea plants (under STAMICARBON license), heat exchangers for ammonia plants (under KELLOG license), high and low pressure equipment for ethylene and polyethylene plants.
In 1993, UZUC was the first company in Romania to obtain the ISO 9002 Quality System Certification awarded by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance. In 1999, through the strict implementation of quality assurance requirements for the design activity, UZUC was certified in accordance with International Standard ISO 9001:1994.
Starting with February 2002, UZUC S.A. Ploiesti entered the category of private companies, being part of the SCR Group (Serviciile Comerciale Romane).
Currently, UZUC has approximately 300 employees, who work in workshops and production departments, machinery assembly, quality assurance and control, technical and administrative departments etc.
UZUC production is mainly oriented towards the execution of pressure equipment for refineries, chemical, petrochemical and energy industries: heat exchangers – different types of construction and execution classes, defined by TEMA Standards; pressure vessels and columns; metallic structure for vertical pressure vessels executed at UZUC; autoclaves for the construction materials industry; skids for machinery executed at UZUC.
For GE Oil & Gas, UZUC has accumulated an experience of over 14 years in the execution of heat exchanger batteries – Performance Heater type, remaining the only European supplier qualified by GE for this type of equipment.
Currently, the entire activity of UZUC is covered by the Integrated Management System Manual (ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14001:2004 & OHSAS 18001:2007) and ASME. In order to complete orders, UZUC has applied during the design and manufacturing activities, together with customer standards and technical specifications, its own standards.
As a recognition of quality and timely delivery of equipment, UZUC was nominated, in 1998 and 1999, as ‘The best supplier for Central and Eastern Europe’ by GE Power Systems USA.
Following several quality audits, UZUC was included in the List of Approved Suppliers by world-recognized companies such as Total, ExxonMobil, Shell, KOC, KNPC, Saudi Aramco, General Electric, Amec Foster Wheeler, Snamprogetti etc.
“Our past urged us to always be a company with a future, always ready for improvement, all the time aware that a work is an activity carried out by someone for someone else’s benefit, especially through the ability to provide in advance what is mostly needed: quality, solutions and, above all, seriousness. We hope to gain an increasingly important role in the energy sector, which is rapidly growing in the global market,” company officials say.
