For this Centre Spotlight, we hear from both Rauf Mammadov and Ali Jamalov, CompEx Team Lead and Instructor at Rapid Solutions, a global provider of electrical, instrumentation, hydraulic, mechanical, and telecommunication services. Founded in 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Rapid Solutions’ CompEx Centre is a leading international provider of CompEx certification and workforce competency training. With a geographical reach which extends across the Caspian region and Central Asia, Rapid Solutions knows not only the best ways to efficiently mobilise internationally, but how to provide technical expertise to a range of specialist services.
What are your most common types of customer/business? –
The specialist services we cater to at Rapid Solutions is fantastically wide-ranging; although our most common is probably oil and gas technical providers, we have also had experience working with electrical, instrumentation, hydraulics, and mechanical services. Commonly, we work within the realm of onshore/offshore installations and support companies with their communication systems.
What are your most popular courses? Why do you think that these are so popular? –
The most popular courses Rapid Solutions offers are definitely the CompEx Refresher Ex01-Ex04 course and the Full CompEx Ex01-Ex04 course. The Full CompEx course offered by Rapid Solutions is intended to provide training specifically for areas where flammable or explosive Gas & Vapours are present. It is provided for electrical and instrumentation personnel who undertake the physical installation and assembly of new ‘Ex’ equipment and who perform preventive maintenance and inspections on previously installed equipment in Hazardous Areas. As part of the course, candidates will be guided through a series of practical assessments and will gain industry-specific knowledge. Upon successful completion, candidates are awarded a CompEx Certificate of Core Competency for the modules in which they achieved the required standard. It offers a fantastic opportunity for each delegate to gain experience working all around the world and vastly increases their expertise about explosive atmospheres, which can occur in onshore and offshore petrochemical plants and refining plants.
Are there any other types of CompEx module/course which you think would be a good fit and would like to see introduced? Or, that would be of interest to your customer base?
We would love the chance to add the Ex12 course for Designers to our certification list. It would be great to train designers under the JTL accreditations and tap into that potential customer base- we think that there could be incredible scope and demand for it.
Are there any particular challenges in your region? –
Due to the travel issues that have been brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, many of our international delegates have not been able to make it to Azerbaijan for the CompEx courses. It has been an incredibly difficult year, but I do think that we have overcome a lot of the challenges that came our way successfully, and we are delighted that we have managed to conduct training in spite of the lockdown restrictions. All of our training staff have gone above and beyond over the past 18 months and have enabled us to uphold our reputation as one of the best training centres in the Middle East.
What would you like to succeed in doing in the next year? –
Our main ambition is to expand the business not only within the region, but beyond regional borders. Our geographical span is already considerable, and we would like to continue extending it so that we can reach as many countries and international services as possible.
What do you think sets CompEx apart from other accreditation bodies? –
CompEx produces outcomes which are accurate and reliable, and which successfully helps measure and assess its delegates’ practical and working knowledge. For any company that works with hazardous processes, CompEx truly is an invaluable source of practical support and guidance.