Pipe Coating Industry Leaders Share Their Goals And Perspectives

Brendan Ryan
Vice President/General Manager USA
Bredero Shaw (a ShawCor Company)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Doing The Best With The Best: Brendan Ryan
Brendan Ryan has enjoyed the opportunity to serve on the NAPCA board of trustees since 2008. He is Vice President and General Manager of Bredero Shaw’s North American region, which operates from eight locations in Canada and the United States. Bredero Shaw is a division of ShawCor.

Brendan has been active in the Oil and Gas Transmission industry since 1982. His career started in Saudi Arabia working with a steel fabrication company that manufactured refinery storage tanks and flow measurement systems. He held engineering and product management roles in Saudi and the UK before moving to the United States in 1991 to join Smith Meter Inc., (subsequently acquired by FMC). At Smith he progressed through positions in engineering, project management and marketing. He managed the After Sales Service Group prior to moving to ShawCor in 2000 as Business Development Manager, and--subsequently--Assistant General Manager, for Shaw Pipeline Services. Shaw Pipeline Services provides specialized ultrasonic and radiographic girth weld inspection services to the onshore and offshore pipeline construction industry. In 2006 Brendan transferred to ShawCor’s pipe coating division as Vice President and General manager, Bredero Shaw, US. He says “experiencing the broad spectrum of pipeline activities from seabed to refinery and on to market has provided an exciting career full of challenges, unique experiences and the opportunity to work with great people – there’s never a dull moment!”

Bredero Shaw has more than 80 years of pipe coating experience, 27 pipe coating facilities located worldwide and the largest team of technical and service specialists in the business. Bredero Shaw’s products include anti-corrosion coatings, flow efficiency, protective and weight coatings, flow assurance and custom coatings, and a fleet of five mobile concrete coating plants.

Brendan assesses that being the global leader requires a clear vision and focus on two of the company’s greatest partners – its customers and its employees. His North America group has adopted the simple motto - “Doing the best with the Best.” By aspiring to flawless execution, Brendan is proud to provide leadership to a workforce that embraces an Incident and Injury Free culture, one that actively engages lean manufacturing tools to eliminate waste and create value, and that develops and implements procedures to remove uncertainty and achieve repeatable quality regardless of changeover frequency. This overriding culture of continuous improvement and sense of empowerment drives the innovation required to address the latest technical challenges facing clients in this dynamic industry. The 2009 results show: the region’s safety record achieved a 47% reduction in total recordable case frequency, two North American plants were recognized and showcased by the Association of Manufacturing Excellence and the Canadian Manufacturing and Exporter Association, and Thermotite® ULTRA™, an innovative new subsea thermal insulation system with unlimited water depth capacity, was released.