Today’s post is brought to you from Becky Snyder. Becky is a materials specialist for Cabot who manages a pipe yard near our Susquehanna County headquarters in Montrose.
The welding program at the Susquehanna County Career & Technology Center (SCCTC) has allowed for a unique partnership between the school in Springville and those of us operating in the Marcellus Shale. In addition to SCCTC providing certified welders for companies like Cabot and our local energy partners, Cabot has made a habit of donating scrap pipe for training purposes.
Last month, we arranged for the donation of about 25 tons of miscellaneous pipes to the school. Several employees from Cabot and our wholly owned subsidiary, GDS, assisted with the project. Our own Abe Curley did some sprucing up of the lay down yard at the school prior to delivery, and Down to Earth Equipment Rental donated the use of a skid-steer for safe and efficient unloading of the pipe.
Welding is an exact science, so the students need all the practice they can get. That requires a lot of steel and, without these periodic donations, the school might have to purchase more pipe and pass that cost on to the students.
Having enough pipe on hand for training can also get them ready for their testing and certification more quickly. Instructors and administrators at SCCTC are always happy to receive the steel, and we always enjoy the visits.
Sending pipe pieces that no longer meet our specs to a recycling yard just doesn’t make sense. When the heat number is worn off, or a segment of the pipe is damaged, we could scrap it. But instead, we gave it to the school to reuse it. They practice on it. They cut it, re-weld it and do patches. Sometimes they build stuff out of it like pipe racks or shelving.
“The pipe is critical for students in completing value-added tasks,” Gary Fenton, SCCTC Assistant Director, explained. “These projects are added to the program of study and designed to get students prepared for local jobs in the gas industry field.” The pipe literally allows students opportunities to cut, fit and weld different joints. They can also inspect their work on various sizes and types of pipe as per industry standards.
In addition to a new pipe donation, the SCCTC students have a new welding instructor, Adam Kavka. We look forward to working together in the new school year!
