October 2023 | 01
DRIVEN TO SOLVE Q UA RTE R LY
N E W S L E T T E R
Feature Article
Digital Twins A Cutting Edge Solution
Staff & Contributors Creative Director Anna Rockhold
Marketing Manager
Content Editor Lisa Bordlee
Marketing Coordinator
Graphic Designers Anna Rockhold
Marketing Manager
Lisa Bordlee
A Message from the EIS Directors We would like to welcome you to our first edition of the “Driven To Solve” company newsletter! This newsletter will be released quarterly and was created to provide a connective thread between all of our employees, whether they be in one of our EIS offices or on site. We aim to keep you up to date with the latest company news, and also some fun updates that may occur throughout the year. Collaboration and ease of communication among teams is one of our goals going forward as EIS enters an exciting time of expansion and overall growth. We know that none of these changes would be possible without you, our employees, and your “Driven To Solve” attitude!
Marketing Coordinator
Veronica Pohl
Jr. Drafter /Reality Capture Tech
Writers Lisa Bordlee
Marketing Coordinator
Carolyn Sutton Human Resources Manager
Rolf Inderbitzin, P.E. EIS Technical Manager
Yvette Patton Operations Coordinator
Chris Huddleston Systems Technical Specialist
Anna Rockhold
Marketing Manager
Contact marketing@eisllc.net Please send us your article ideas, artwork, photography, content suggestions, funny engineer jokes, baby pictures, announcements and anything else you would like to see in the EIS company newsletter. This newsletter is for you so let’s make it GREAT! To upload video, pictures and content over
Rob Frater
Tonya Chauvin
Joe Brinz, P.E.
Chris Morris, P.E.
Director of Client Services
Chief Operating Officer
Co-founder and CEO
Director of Engineering
October 2023
cover page: a photograph of an interactive display about lasers at The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Livingston, LA by Anna Rockhold, 2015
2mb please use our media folder at
A special thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to contribute to our very first issue!
The Engineer’s Eye R-Stamp Certification By Rolf Inderbitzin, P.E.
D
id you know? EIS is certified by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI) for the design of repairs and alterations of pressure vessels. But what does that mean? To answer that, we need to look at some background.
Why is this important for EIS? Any owner of a pressure vessel that plans to make repairs or alterations must follow the rules and requirements mentioned in the article. If the owner is not certified to do the work themselves, a certified company is selected to ensure all work is performed as required. EIS has been certified since September 2020 and we have just renewed our certification through September 2026. We take pride in supporting our clients with their code work needs.
First, a pressure vessel is a container designed to contain a fluid (liquid, gas, or vapor) at a pressure above 15 psig. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has established rules and requirements on how to design and build pressure vessels, with the ultimate goal to ensure they are safe to operate. These rules and requirements can be found in the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC), which is split into 13 sections. The BPVC focuses on new constructions and does not consider the likelihood and consequences of deterioration related to specific service fluids or external operating environments. Since repairs and alterations are often done to pressure vessels that are not in new condition, even more requirements apply. For that, we can find guidance in several standards from the American Petroleum Institute (API), most notably API 510, and within the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC). All repairs and alterations of pressure vessels, or pressure-containing parts of a vessel, must be performed in compliance with these provisions. The company, or individual performing the repairs and alterations, or the design of it, must have excellent knowledge of all these requirements. As we can quickly understand, if one is not familiar with all rules and requirements, mistakes can happen, and the outcomes could be severe. So, in conclusion, to be certified by the NBBI means that a company has demonstrated exceptional knowledge of the codes and requirements and adheres to them. 3
EIS BUSINESS TRAVEL By Yvette Patton
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hether you are traveling for vacation or business, generating an itinerary for your trip can be daunting. If you are traveling with a group, it can quickly turn into a nightmare. It’s like rounding cattle. Then there is the issue of keeping up with all your receipts for your flight, your hotel, and your car rental. In the past year, with the inception of our technology division Captura, and the overall growth of our company, business travel has now become an essential part of EIS operations. To make booking easier for employees, whether that be for hotel rooms, flights, or car rentals, EIS has now setup an online, one-stop shop for all your needs – TravelPerk. What is TravelPerk? TravelPerk It is a third-party travel management application that provides a variety of travel and expense management services tailored to the unique travel and administrative needs of our team.
How so? Business travelers experience booking their entire trip within one application; flights, hotels, cars, and even trains. You have the luxury of canceling your trip up to 2 hours prior to lift-off with the guarantee of receiving at least 80% of your money back. You also receive 24/7 customer support via emails or chat. You also no longer worry about keeping up with multiple receipts. TravelPerk generates one itinerary for your flight, hotel, and rental car, automatically saving it to the system for future billing reference. Management can stay in control of budgets using programmed analytics, having the ability to publish, and implement detailed travel policies. TravelPerk also allows management to track employees on a map in real-time. Accounting no longer needs to track down a traveler for receipts, once a booking is generated; the itinerary and all the supporting information are simultaneously sent to the accounting email. This makes it easier to reconcile and properly bill clients. Marketing and business development can now create events within TravelPerk, allowing the team to strategically plan arrival dates and times for multiple employees. As a bonus, you can also use TravelPerk to book your own personal travel, using your personal credit card. Booking your personal adventures through TravelPerk allows you to enjoy the same great discount EIS receives for flights, rental cars, and more. Thanks to TravelPerk business travel and personal travel is now a breeze.
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Get The App
Who to Contact for What
Current Job Listings
By Carolyn Sutton
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ith recent changes to our administrative team, you might be wondering who to contact for various matters within the company. We’re here to help streamline the communication process and ensure that your needs are met promptly and efficiently. Below, we have listed the appropriate contacts for specific tasks: 1. Ordering Supplies: If you need to request supplies, please email your supply requests to: supplies@eisllc.net. Yvette Patton has taken charge of supply ordering, and orders will be placed on the 15th and 30th of each month. This ensures that we maintain the necessary resources for smooth operations at the Metairie Office & Century Tower Office.
Ordering Supplies
2. Client Site Time sheets: For those working at client sites that require signed time sheets, please continue to email your time sheets to: timesheets@eisllc.net. This ensures timely processing and invoicing, helping us maintain a strong client relationship.
supplies@eisllc.net
Client Site Time Sheets
3. Unanet Questions: For any questions related to Unanet, our system for project management and time tracking, please contact Jennifer Schnauder at: jschnauder@eisllc.net. She will be happy to assist you with any queries related to Unanet.
timesheets@eisllc.net
4. Safety Council Training Renewals: If you have upcoming training renewals at the Safety Council, please reach out to Tiffany Pfister in Human Resources at: tpfister@eisllc.net. Tiffany is the newest member of the EIS HR Team and will be supporting employees with badging, training, and drug screens.
Unanet Questions
5. Referrals and Recruitment: For any referrals or recruitment-related matters, we have a part-time recruiter, Shannon Hinton. Shannon will be assisting with the recruiting process until Tiffany is fully trained. It’s best to have your referral apply directly using the following link: https://eisllc.bamboohr.com/careers. Make sure to list your name on the application to ensure proper tracking.
tpfister@eisllc.net
jschnauder@eisllc.net
Safety Council Training Renewals Referrals and Recruitment
https://eisllc.bamboohr.com/careers
If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. Your success and satisfaction are vital to us, and we’re here to support you.
of heat to reduce my water temperature by 5°F from 92°F to 87°F. Sounds like a lot! But how much ice is that?
Is It Possible To Cool Off? By Rolf Inderbitzin, P.E.
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hat a summer we had! Heat records seemed to be broken every day. In July and August, I would only go outside to cool off in a swimming pool, but most outside pools had water temperatures in the low to mid 90’s. That’s not refreshing at all. So, as any engineer would do, I was looking for a way to cool that water down a bit. Of course, I was not going to buy and install a chiller to cool that water down; there should be an easier way to get that accomplished. Would it be possible to cool that pool water down just a bit if I add enough ice? And, if so, how much would it take? I ran some numbers. Based on a reasonable size pool of 10,000 gallons, I would need to remove around 455,000 kJ (kilo Joules)
The ice will absorb the heat from the water in 3 steps: one, when the ice is “heating” up to its melting temperature, two, when it’s changing its state from solid to liquid, and lastly three, when the ice-cold water is mixing with the warm pool water. Ice out of the freezer is just below 0°F. I used -4°F, since that is equal to -20°C, and I ran the calculations using metric units. The ice will have to warm up to 32°F (0° C) so it can change from solid to liquid. This will remove around 36,400 kJ (~8%) of heat during that phase. The next phase is where most of that magic happens, during which the ice transitions from solid (frozen) to liquid (i.e.; it melts). Turns out, it takes a huge amount of energy to turn ice into water, while its temperature remains constant. In our case, it takes over 303,600 kJ (~67%). The last phase, mixing, will remove an additional 115,000 kJ (~25%) of heat from our pool water to get an even temperature throughout the pool. Ok, that’s cool (no pun intended), but how much ice did it take? 2,000 lbs! If you get that from your local ice dispenser at $2/20 lbs bag, it will cost you $200 to enjoy an afternoon in a cold, I mean slightly less hot, swimming pool. Be prepared to repeat this every weekend because it won’t take long for the pool to heat back up. Or maybe you know the Zamboni driver of your local ice rink? Maybe he can come and empty all the shavings into your pool after his next cleaning.
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Note: All numbers shown are approximate.
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The Captura technology team displaying the latest in reality capture tools they use to create digital twin for clients in multiple industries. left to right: John Tav, Technology Manager, Veronica Pohl , Kevin Kern, Taylor St. Pierre, Jeremy Lott
Digital Twins A Cutting Edge Solution By Lisa Bordlee
A digital twin is a dynamic virtual copy of a physical asset, process, system or environment that looks like and behaves identically to its real-world counterpart.
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ince 2000, EIS has been an engineering, design, and inspection firm serving the U.S. refining and petrochemical industries. Over the years, we have completed hundreds of engineering and design projects for numerous facilities throughout the US. Our aim is to offer the best technology and cutting edge solutions to our clients. EIS is now partnering with Prevu3D and VEERUM to bring a comprehensive digital twin workflow. This exciting collaboration furthers our abilities in the field of digital twins, and it all begins with our reality capture services.
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Reality Capture by EIS: The First Step EIS currently has the largest reality capture fleet in the Gulf Coast Region and the second in the United States. We use a variety of scanners (terrestrial, mobile, metrology and drone) to fit the unique needs of our clients’ projects. Once our scanning is complete the data is converted into a point cloud, a 360-degree digital replica of the site. This provides teams with comprehensive online data and immersive photogrammetry. Users can digitally take measurements, make annotations, upload paperwork, and view modeling from designers all within one online location.
Watch the new video showing how EIS uses reality capture technology, and how Prevu3D and VEERUM software works in tandem with our client solutions.
EIS can scan facilities quickly and costeffectively, capturing approximately 150,000 sq ft per day, per machine up to 1/4-inch accuracy. First, our process uses existing benchmarks for control, then utilizes a Total Station to create new controls throughout the units. Digital data points are created throughout the facility using our cuttingedge reality capture scanners. Once the area is completely captured, the data is processed, registered, and exported. EIS offers quick turnaround when providing a digitized facility on a cloud-based 3D spatial data platform, either through the Prevu3D or the VEERUM platform.
Prevu3D: A Tool for Visualizing New Designs Prevu3D converts cumbersome point clouds into efficient 3D meshes and textures, achieving the highest fidelity from your 3D scanning data. While other meshing solutions might compromise the visual accuracy of the data, Prevu3D delivers meshing accuracy similar to the original point cloud resolution while reducing the data size by over 85%. The result is a high-quality 3D model that you can work with immediately. The environment is intuitive, interactive, and more accessible to any stakeholders including non-engineer decision makers and works on any entry level PC or web browser. Prevu3D started with making pre-design analysis more efficient and collaborative. There is the ability to extract an object from within the space, enabling you not only to view the space, but edit the space and rapidly create multiple design iterations. Using a mesh allows for collision detection, so you can bring assets in and out of the facility, as well as create animated paths to simulate assets being removed from the space. You also have the ability to bring in an array of file types, such as CAD and BIM models, as well as multiple export options. Another key feature of this application is the ability to take accurate measurements, such as pipe diameters and room height. You can attach documents such as manuals,
P&IDs, videos, web links to enterprise databases, and tags to objects within the space. Once editing is complete, you can share your ideas with a simple web link. Your collaborators can explore the space online without the need for any special software. Prevu3D also supports bringing in external data from IoT sensors to create virtual dashboards for live monitoring. Prevu3D is now working on making assets more intelligent by soon supporting automatic segmentation of assets based on the mesh without user input as well as connecting various enterprise data point such as work orders and asset inspection schedules.
VEERUM: A Great Resource for Connecting Teams VEERUM’s brownfield digital twin solution enables maintenance teams to visit their assets and plan projects from anywhere in the world. They’ve built a cloud-hosted application to visualize and analyze remote assets. VEERUM uses the existing visual data to build the foundation of the digital twin and uses the reality capture scan from EIS to create a data-rich 3D model of the site. Users can connect and visualize CMMS work orders and real-time IoT data on the digitized site. This enables visual work identification so the entire team knows what work orders are coming next. Now the maintenance team can plan upcoming work directly in VEERUM. Users can enable remote planning with visual support, create view share links to add visual context to reports, and build a digital record of all activities. Now that the entire team is familiar with the digital twin of the site, the maintenance planning team can schedule projects remotely, assign tasks, and create a schedule in the context of the digital twin. They can update the status of a work order in real-time and identify any schedule slips and bottlenecks before they impact subsequent maintenance projects.
Clients are able to view their assets in a 3-dimensional environment online without downloading any software. They can toggle between photogrammetry and point cloud data.
Finally, when it comes time to execute maintenance cycles, VEERUM enables real-time communication between the site and the office, resulting in improved productivity. On-site users can upload photos as left reports and make status updates to enrich the digital twin. Ingesting, labeling, and enriching your existing asset information in the context of a 3D viewer enables automated virtual tagging and issue detection. By showing data in the context of a 3D reality scan or 360-degree panoramic photos all stakeholders can see what is currently on site and use Veerum as visual task management tool.
Increasing Efficiencies with Digital Twins The utilization of reality capture and digital twins makes job planning safer and more efficient. EIS offers multiple platforms for teams to work within and successfully complete their projects on time and on budget. By creating a digital twin you eliminate the need for manual measurements, field visits, contractor bid walks and ultimately, reduce the number of on site personnel. There are added safety benefits in that you lessen exposure to dangerous field elements and also, eliminate work delays due to weather issues. As EIS navigates through the future, we are committed to being at the forefront of technology and offering the most cutting edge solutions for our clients.
www.eisllc.net/digitaltwin 7
The World Is Open For Business
By Anna Rockhold
In the wake of a prolonged pandemic, the year 2023 has seen the world emerge into a new era of opportunities. We’ve seized this moment to connect with the business community through trade shows, networking events on the golf course, fishing expeditions, spirited bowling competitions, as well as active participation in prestigious conferences and thought-provoking forums.
John Tav and Kevin Kern joined industry technology leaders from multiple manufacturing companies based in Louisiana for a two-day event of high value, “TED” conferencelike content. Leaders from the petrochemical, manufacturing and technology industries shared what they are developing and utilizing as new technological tools and processes emerge.
TEC NEXT 2023 Baton Rouge, LA
Shaw Center for the Arts
Our EIS/Captura team put on their bowling shoes at the “Bowling with Bayou” event for the Associated Builders and Contractors New Orleans Bayou chapter. They rocked out and networked with friends and members! The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members and 68 Chapters. ABC’s membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors.
Bowling with Bayou New Orleans, LA The Rock ‘n’ Bowl
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The EIS/Captura team attended the 2023 National Hurricane Conference to demonstrate the benefits of digital twins in pre-and postdamage assessment. Our Technology Manager John Tav had the opportunity to present our full capabilities and services to attendees while showcasing a variety of our projects.
EXPO NHC
New Orleans, LA The Westin Hotel
The EIS team attended the 2023 Tulane University Engineering Forum. John Tav gave a presentation on “Reality Capture/ Laser Scanning for Industrial and Commercial Projects” during the Engineering Innovation session held at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. EIS Director of Engineering Chris Morris, P.E. gave students and professionals alike a chance to experience the NaVvis mobile scanner.
Tulane Engineering Forum New Orleans, LA
Morial Convention Center
Rest assured, we’re not resting on our laurels. In fact, we’re pushing the envelope to bring even more substantial and innovative challenges to the forefront. Our “Driven To Solve” attitude permeates every aspect of our work, and it’s what propels us to conquer every obstacle and seize every opportunity that comes our way.
At our Metairie, Louisiana location EIS employees were treated to a fun afternoon of beach volleyball, crawfish, jambalaya, door prizes and lots of family fun at our employee crawfish boil.
Let the Good Times Boil Kenner, LA
Coconut Beach
Our Texas employees enjoyed their annual employee and family crawfish boil. We love seeing our employees from all locations celebrating all they do for EIS!
Family Crawfish Boil Beaumont, TX Crazy Cajun
Rob Frater, Kevin J. Kern, Todd Jeanne, and John Tav attended the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston to speak about our services and the future of digital twins in the oil and gas industry. This event is a place where energy professionals meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.
Offshore Technology Conference Houston, TX NRG Park
2023
Our CEO Joe Brinz and our talented Reality Capture Specialist Tyler Andrew received an exclusive preview of the highly anticipated #NavVisVLX3. This cutting-edge wearable SLAM-based scanner from NavVis is generating a buzz in the industry. To experience its remarkable capabilities firsthand, Joe traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana, while Tyler visited the Glycol unit at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas.
NavVis LX3
Lake Charles, LA Pasadena, TX
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Healthy Companies Grow
Our relentless dedication and unwavering commitment have borne fruit in the form of unprecedented growth. This is a testament to the hard work, passion, and resilience that defines our team. We’ve successfully amplified our message and services, reaching audiences far and wide, setting the stage for exciting new possibilities. As we move forward into 2023 and beyond, our commitment remains unwavering, and our pursuit of excellence unceasing. Together, we will continue to scale new heights and overcome any challenge that lies ahead.
Chris Morris, Director of Engineering and Mark Varisco, Lead Electrical Engineer attended the LES/IEEE joint meeting held at South Port Hall. They met with soon to be and recent engineering graduates from local universities as well as industry colleagues. They also heard a great presentation on Entergy’s Avondale-Harahan Transmission Tower River Crossing Project.
LES/IEEE
New Orleans, LA South Port Hall
At the Reuters Downstream USA 2023 conference, EIS joined active solution seekers and thought leaders across capital projects, reliability, maintenance, shutdowns, digital, sustainability and procurement to reeducate each other of new expectation and capabilities. They networked to solidify partnerships that will maximize plant output today and build resilience for tomorrow. In attendance were Rob Frater, Christopher Morris and Joe Brinz with VEERUM’s Meaghan Snethlage (wearing our NavVis VLX mobile scanner below).
Downstream Galveston, TX
Galveston Island Convention Center
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EIS employees in the Metairie office put work aside for a moment to enjoy a wonderful evening at the Rock n’ Bowl. They enjoyed great food, drinks and lots of laughs. I don’t think anyone cared too much about the final bowling scores.
Employee Bowling New Orleans, LA The Rock ‘n’ Bowl
John Cagnolatti, Tonya Chauvin, Rob Frater, Richard Courville, Anna Rockhold and Lisa Bordlee all attended GBRIA’s 2nd Annual Industry Expo. This expo provides an opportunity for industry personnel to access local suppliers to help achieve improved world-class performance in safety, health, environmental, maintenance, operations, and workforce development.
GBRIA
Baton Rouge, LA Lamar Dixon Center
More To Come ...
We are not finished with the year 2023 just yet. EIS has many more golfing and fishing tournaments to attend throughout the Gulf South, including an exciting community event in Mississippi, “Stennis Day in the Bay” where we will have a booth and an Architecture Conference in New Orleans to present our technology solutions. Next year is going to start off with one of our biggest events, the API Summit where we expect to meet old and many new connections. As the world opens up for business EIS is ready to capitalize on the opportunities that emerge.
Kevin Kern and Joe Brinz demonstrated our reality capture technology solutions for disaster recovery at the Future of Insurance. The property insurance industry finds itself in a profitability crunch as demands for digital innovation and customer expectations continue to rise. Carriers must stay ahead by streamlining processes and re-imagining products. Our technology solutions are gaining interest in many more markets outside of the petrochemical industry.
The Future of Insurance Chicago, IL
Mariott Marquis Chicago
Allen Gautreaux and Rob Frater attended the PRIME Expo’s new one day conference to benefit plant and department managers, supervisors and front line workers involved in reliability, inspection & maintenance, shutdowns & turnarounds, supply chain sourcing, and process digitalization. The content is designed for front line workers and up-and-coming supervisors and managers who need to understand how their department’s data connects with that of all the other functions in the plant.
Allen Gautreaux and Tonya Chauvin hosted seniors from Lamar University at the Beaumont office and attended the Lamar career fair. They inspired the next generation with a modeling demo, discipline discussions, and a VR experience for many new potential future EIS employees.
Lamar Career Fair Beaumont, TX
Lamar University
The PRIME Expo Pasadena, TX
Pasadena Convention Center
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EIS Awards Setting the Standard LED Legends Award Congratulations to our CEO and Co-founder Joe Brinz, P.E. on receiving the 2023 Louisiana Growth Leader Legend Award from the Louisiana Economic Development (LED). EIS was honored as the top recipient out of 10 selected Growth Leaders due to his leadership and exceptional contributions to the Louisiana economy.
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As a young engineer starting a new firm, I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect or where it would lead. What I did know was that honesty and trust were key to developing long-term relationships with our clients. Although we are no longer a ‘mom and pop’ operation, these values still hold true today. As one of our clients recently told us, ‘EIS doesn’t bill man hours, they build relationships.’ That’s not bad feedback for a company with 140 employees and offices in two states providing technical support to clients throughout the country. - Joe Brinz
2023 Top Workplace in New Orleans EIS is proud to announce for the third year in a row we’ve been named to the New Orleans Top Workplaces list by The Times Picayune! Our company began over 20 years ago with only two engineers. Since growing to 140 employees (and counting), we still maintain a family environment and view employees as our most valuable assets. This award is based solely on the feedback received from our surveyed employees. Our recognition was made possible by our outstanding and hard working employees.
UNO Alumni Hall Admission - Joe Brinz Our CEO Joe Brinz was selected by the University of New Orleans Alumni Association to be honored in their Alumni Hall. A brief biography, quote and picture will be featured along with fellow honored graduates of UNO. UNO Alumni Story 1992, B.S. Management 1996, B.S. Mechanical Engineering Student Involvement UNO Engineering Society American Society of Mechanical Engineers Order of the Engineer His Advice to Students “Embrace honesty, trust and critical thinking in your engineering journey. As you step into the unknown, seek to build relationships and to work outside of your comfort zone for that is where the real creativity occurs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions until you get to an “ah-ha” moment. Surround yourself with those who uplift you and remember, engineering is not difficult when you’re having fun!”
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Happy Retirement Candy! A message from Joe Brinz, P.E. on the retirement of Karen Fossier Throughout her time at EIS, Candy has been the backbone of our organization, ensuring that each and every one of us stayed on top of safety training, drug screenings, and all those other important details that keep the wheels turning smoothly. Her role as an administrative assistant may sound straightforward, but her impact has been far-reaching. She’s been the mastermind behind processing payroll, making sure we all received our hard-earned cash on time, while flawlessly managing a thousand and one other responsibilities behind the scenes. But Candy’s contributions go well beyond her professional skills. She has been a true friend and confidant to many of us, brightening even the most chaotic days with her contagious laughter and warm smile. Her willingness to lend a helping hand has made her an irreplaceable part of our work family, creating a supportive and positive atmosphere that we will forever cherish. Candy, as you embark on this exciting new chapter of your life, we want you to know just how much you are valued and cherished. Take this well-deserved time to indulge in relaxation, joy, and the new adventures that retirement has to offer. You have truly earned it, and we couldn’t be happier for you!
Driven to Solve Superstar WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT ROLE ON THE TEAM? Since November 2022, I have been an Engineering Intern and a Reality Capture Specialist at EIS. Additionally, I attend Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. On the EIS team, I mainly assist with mobile scanning in refineries, utilizing the NavVis VLX mobile scanner. The scans are used to help with a variety of engineering projects. From time to time, I have the opportunity to work on stress analysis projects under the guidance of EIS Technical Manager Rolf Inderbitzin. HOW HAVE YOU GROWN PROFESSIONALLY WHILE WORKING AT EIS? I’ve greatly improved my skill set and learned things that aren’t available to me in school alone. I’ve helped designed an AutoCAD model for a large refinery, while learning to use CAESAR II. It was a great opportunity to be able to work on a real world project while still being a student. Most importantly, I’ve learned plant terminology. This internship gave me the chance to work in a plant for the first time. I can now take charge on a job and feel confident, improving my leadership skills. WHO ON THE TEAM HAS INSPIRED YOU? There are many people that have inspired me at EIS. Since starting, Reality Capture Specialist Tyler Andrew has been a great guide at our Beaumont office. He taught me how to use the FARO terrestrial scanner and the NavVis mobile scanner. Brint Bridegam, our Civil/Structural Designer, showed me how to survey. Tonya Chauvin, whom I met at the career fair, helped me get familiar with the company. WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT EIS COMPANY CULTURE? I admire how connected everyone is - from the bottom all the way to the top. It’s like one big family. I can call Tonya Chauvin and ask her a question, and she’d happily answer. I feel comfortable approaching team members at any level.
David Spurlock Engineering Intern & Reality Capture Specialist 13
Driven to Solve Superstar HOW DID YOU COME TO JOIN EIS AND WHAT’S YOUR CURRENT ROLE? I joined EIS in April of 2014. I wasn’t planning on leaving the job I had at the time, but my best friend from college was working for EIS and I decided to give Joe Brinz my resume. After nearly a year of Joe asking me to come aboard, I finally said “yes.” Currently, I am the Analytical Specialist and Sr. Rotating Equipment Engineer for EIS. I do everything from vibration analysis using our Motion Amplification equipment, to hydraulic analysis, pipe stress analysis, and even some reverse engineering using our Creaform Scanner. Additionally, I provide rotating equipment technical assurance for capital projects. HOW HAVE YOU GROWN PROFESSIONALLY WHILE WORKING AT EIS? My skill set has grown considerably while working at EIS. I gained my Professional Engineer (P.E.) and became an ISO Category III Vibration Analyst in 2022. Since working in our Analytical Group, I’ve increased my experience with hydraulic analyses using the PIPEFLO software and my static equipment knowledge and experience through conducting pipe stress analyses in CAESAR II and vessel re-rates in PV Elite. I’ve also been given the opportunity to work with new, ground-breaking technologies such as our Motion Amplification equipment and our Creaform 3D laser scanner.
Jeff Vollmer Analytical Specialist & Sr. Rotating Equipment Engineer
Earn Nectar Points
All employees have the chance to claim Nectar points for their healthy habits and participation. By logging into Nectar HR at https://app.nectarhr.com/, you can participate in our annual health physical challenge and earn a remarkable 250 Nectar points as a token of our appreciation for completing the Biometric screening. You might be wondering, what can I do with these Nectar points? Well, they’re your golden ticket to redeeming a $25 gift card of your choice! It’s an excellent way to treat yourself while celebrating your commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
WHO ON THE TEAM HAS INSPIRED YOU? I would say the entirety of the Analytical Group in the EIS Metairie office inspires me. I’m so glad I have been given the opportunity to be a part of their team. Every member on the team is extremely knowledgeable and brings a different skill set to the table and that makes the group a powerhouse. It is fantastic! WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT EIS COMPANY CULTURE? It’s one big family and it is awesome. I’ve worked at larger corporations where if you were walking down the hall and the President or CEO was coming the other way you felt like you shouldn’t even make eye contact. But here, that isn’t the case. The leadership team isn’t something to be afraid of, but instead, they’re extremely approachable. Coming to work at EIS is an enjoyable experience and I’m able to be around friends and co-workers.
Employee Wellness By Carolyn Sutton Save Big on Health Insurance Since June 1st, 24 employees have taken advantage of the wellness discount and saved $25/month on their health insurance premiums.
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he Wellness program is designed to encourage and reward employees for taking proactive steps toward maintaining their well-being. By simply submitting a doctor’s note or Explanation of Benefits (EOB) confirming a wellness check-up, you can unlock these incredible savings on your health insurance. Remember, this discount is applicable every month, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to make lasting changes to your health and financial well-being. Claim Your Wellness Discount To receive your $25 monthly wellness discount on health premiums, ensure you submit your proof of a wellness checkup to Carolyn Sutton csutton@eisllc.net in Human Resources. It’s a quick and hassle-free process that can save you up to $300 annually on your health insurance premiums.
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Tips and Tricks from IT Managing Spam and Phishing Emails In collaboration with UDI, EIS uses a program called Proofpoint that checks all emails received from outside the company and verifies if they are spam (an undesired email) or phishing (an email that causes harm). If Proofpoint decides an email meets the above criteria, the email will be quarantined. Once a day, you will receive a notification email from Proofpoint with an option to release quarantined emails if they have been inaccurately marked as suspicious. If an email makes it through Proofpoint and you suspect that it is spam or phishing, please report it. Do not open any documents attached to the email or clink on any links within it. To send a suspicious email to support, simply create a new email, drag, and drop the spam/phishing email into the new email and send it to support@eisllc.net. The email will be reviewed, and we will attempt to find ways to block similar emails in the future.
By Chris Huddleston
Working Remotely If working remotely (outside the office) most EIS resources are available via the cloud. The only major exception is access to the L: (Design) drive. Email, SharePoint, and OneDrive are accessible with just a standard internet connection. For access to the L: drive, you will need to first connect to the EIS network using Fortinet VPN client. This is already installed on EIS systems and can be installed on personal computers. If you wish to work from your personal computer (Windows PC or MAC), there is a way to set up RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) access. The first time it will require working with IT Support, and it can be done remotely.
File Sharing To save space in your email inbox, there is the option to share documents and folders, internally and externally to EIS, via OneDrive. The basic idea is have the file/folder in your OneDrive, right click
on item, and select share. There are many options that can be set to allow for secure and insecure sharing. Please ask IT Support if you have any questions.
IT Policies EIS is moving to provide laptops for all EIS computer users; however, with this change comes some new policies and issues. Although laptops are portable, users should not be taking EIS computers out of the office unless there is an expectation of needing to do EIS work outside the office. The same policies that pertain to work hours usage of EIS computers pertains to off hours usage as well. EIS computers are for EIS work. Additionally, EIS emails should only be used for EIS business purposes, not personal use. The more widely spread an email address is, the more likely it is to be picked up and used for spamming and phishing.
Driven to Solve Superstar WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE ON THE TEAM? I joined the EIS team in 2021. I have a unique position in that I work on projects for both sides of the company, EIS and our EIS technology division Captura. I focus on mechanical and industrial drafting for EIS and architectural drafting and laser scanning for Captura. WHAT TYPES OF SOFTWARE OR TOOLS DO YOU USE IN YOUR WORK? On a daily basis, I utilize multiple tools such as AutoCAD, Plant3D and Revit. For our projects in the AEC industry (architecture, engineering and construction), I work with point cloud data collected through the NavVis mobile scanner and FARO terrestrial scanner. From there, I design base modeling and floorplans in Revit for a variety of buildings and structures.
Veronica Pohl Junior Drafter & Reality Capture Technician
HOW HAVE YOU GROWN PROFESSIONALLY WHILE WORKING AT EIS? Since 2019, I’ve been enrolled at Tulane University in New Orleans earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Digital Design. I plan to graduate in 2024. In 2023, I received the American Advertising Federation (AAF) of District 7 Mosaic Scholarship. This scholarship recognizes academically talented students from backgrounds and experiences that offer a varying perspective in advertising-related disciplines by providing help in completing their undergraduate education. WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS? One of the most exciting projects I’ve been working on is the St. Louis Cathedral revitalization project with Captura. It’s an ongoing project with historical significance and has been a huge undertaking. I helped scan every corner of the cathedral and surrounding structures with the NavVis mobile scanner. The point cloud data we collect will be used by architects to plan out and model everything that will be 15 reconstructed within the building.
CONGRATULATIONS Todd Jeanne, Inspection Manager and his wife Casey welcomed Dalton Anthony Jeanne on June 23rd.
Juan Padron and his whole family. Juan Padron, located at Exxon BMT, and his wife Sarah Culver welcome twin girls Romona and Elena on April 10th. Aaron Trahan, located at Exxon BMT, and his wife Kammie Trahan welcomed Aubrey Rose on July 20th.
Word of the Day LiDAR
L
iDAR, or light detection and ranging, is a popular remote sensing method used for measuring the exact distance of an object on the earth’s surface. Even though it was first used in the 1960s when laser scanners were mounted to aeroplanes, LiDAR didn’t get the popularity it deserved until twenty years later. It was only during the 1980s after the introduction of GPS that it became a popular method for calculating accurate geospatial measurements. Now that its scope has spread across numerous fields, we should know more about LiDAR mapping technology and how it works. 16
By Anna Rockhold
What is LiDAR technology and how does it work? Here are a few insights about it that are good to know.
LiDAR Technology According to the American Geoscience Institute, LiDAR uses a pulsed laser to calculate an object’s variable distances from the earth surface. These light pulses — put together with the information collected by the airborne system — generate accurate 3D information about the earth’s surface and the target object.
There are three primary components of a LiDAR instrument — the scanner, laser and GPS receiver. Other elements that play a vital role in the data collection and analysis are the photo detector and optics.
EIS and Reality Capture Here at EIS our Captura technology team uses a variety of LiDAR devices to “capture reality” from terrestrial, to drones, to mobile scanners. We “stitch” the images and point cloud data together to create an amazing resource for our clients to use.
Entertainment
ENGINEERING CROSSWORD SOLENOID 15 Makers of the world's first fully electric truck 18 Radioactive transuranic metallic element 21 Prefix with center 22 Diagnostic test, of a sort 23 Word with second, minute or hour 24 Game arbiter
Answers Below
WE’ VE GOT JOKES! ACROSS 1 Quadcopter makers, ____ Robotics 5 Became motionless, as a computer 8 Turbine part 9 It measures the distance between two points 10 Fe 11 Receivers 13 Machines that resemble human beings 16 Worldwide web
17 Longitude's alternative, for short 19 Endangered tuna due to high demand for it in sushi restaurants 20 One thousandth of a second 23 Relating to the power produced by mechanical pressure on certain crystals 25 Evaluated as to quality 26 Surplus water flows
DOWN 1 Standing upright 2 Part of TNT 3 Land area 4 Lister's abbr. 5 "Bucky's" last name─he popularized the geodesic dome 6 Competitors, for example 7 Sincere 12 Current-carrying coil of wire 14 It decreases the strength of a solution
Engineering Crossword Puzzles for Adults
SUDOKU
8 7 1 3 9 6 8 3 4 9 8 7 3
5 4 9 1 2 5 8 9 4 7 6 3 4 9 9 2 5 1 5 8 2 3 2 8 6
Illustrated by Veronica Pohl
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Crossword Answers
Have a joke, crossword or other game you’d like to contribute to our newsletter? Let us know! Send to marketing@eisllc.net.
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July - August - September
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1 Year
2 Year
Ryan Small Yvette Patton Mark Terrio Jordan Guillot Cody Smith Julio Morales Shelly Pham Mike Maheu Tyler LaCombe Trent Breaux Brandon Palmisano Walter Frey Holden Courville Christopher Huddleston Calvin Chauvin Pete Hindman Travis Brink Cantrelle Cornish Kaylee Houeye Jeremy Lott David Spurlock Kyle Miller Chad Wild Gregory Trahan
Mark Michiels Therese Holmes Eddie Pace Will Fontenot Kyle Miller Gabe Kirby Chad Wild Gregory Trahan Mario Villarreal Colby Gilfillian
6 Year Fred Walker Chad Wild
8 Year Mac Troxclair
3 Year
12 Year
Logan Peres Frank Roy Craig Soignet Michael Simon Dennis Pearce Scott Davis
Frank Cuadra
4 Year Gabe Kirby
17 Year Darren Kling
Welcome to the Team
Clyde Diaville
Michael Rios
Mike Reed
Allen Gautreaux
OJ Oladunni
Shannon Hinton
Inspection Manager Baton Rouge, LA
Century Tower Manager Beaumont, TX
Pamela Dawson
Data Entry Specialist Metairie, LA
Civil / Structural Designer Beaumont, TX
QA/Source Inspector PBF, Chalmette, LA
Project Coordinator Valero, Meraux
Talent and Engagement Specialist Metairie, LA
Steve Willis
Surveyor Beaumont, TX
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ENGINEERING & DESIGN
ANALYTICAL ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL INTEGRITY
REALITY CAPTURE
INSPECTION SERVICES
Let’s keep in touch 504-837-3310 info@eisllc.net www.eisllc.net
Engineering & Inspection Services (EIS) is a full-service engineering, design and inspection firm delivering practical solutions for our clients through technical expertise and emerging technologies. We are driven to solve the most complex challenges our clients face. EIS serves the U.S. refining and petrochemical industries while our technology team Captura also serves the AEC, Manufacturing, Disaster Recovery and many new developing markets. Our offices are located in Baton Rouge and Metarie, Louisiana and Beaumont, Texas.