Episode #14
No Coasting, All Brake, All Gas (Featuring Melanie Brewer)
In Part 2 of our conversation with Melanie Brewer, MI Authority at Third Coast, hosts Branden and Greg dig into the practical realities of standing up a mechanical integrity program in a startup-like midstream environment. After nearly 30 years at a single facility, Melanie made the deliberate move to Third Coast specifically for the challenge and opportunity of building an MI and reliability program from scratch. She walks through how she prioritized fixed equipment as the highest-risk starting point, developed a foundational MI document covering engineering, design, and fabrication standards, and why getting the documentation framework right from day one is non-negotiable for long-term program sustainability. A recurring theme in Melanie's approach at Third Coast is that more than half of her time is invested in training and cross-functional collaboration — because even the best MI standards are only as effective as the people implementing them. She shares how building a receptive, aligned culture requires consistent education at every level of the organization, and how industry events like the API Inspection Summit have been essential for stress-testing her ideas and staying current with evolving best practices. The conversation wraps with a look at the person behind the program: Melanie's passion for road course racing, and how the discipline, risk assessment, and split-second decision-making she applies on track parallels the mindset she brings to mechanical integrity every day. If you missed Part 1 of our conversation with Melanie, you can listen here [insert hyperlink] or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe to Upon Further Inspection so you are notified as soon as the new episode drops. 00:00 Risk Based Priorities 01:41 Building MI From Scratch 02:31 Fixed Equipment First 03:04 Engineering Practices And Codes 05:02 QAQC And Welding Surveillance 05:52 What Toll Manufacturing Means 07:56 Batch Ops And RBI Limits 11:28 AIM Systems And Knowledge Transfer 13:55 Educating And Winning Buy In 17:50 Remote Oversight And Independence 19:23 Where MI Should Report 22:51 Why Standards Matter 26:31 CUI Lessons And IGGN 30 28:34 MI Roadmap And Documentation 30:52 SharePoint Framework And Less Paper 33:20 Joining Third Coast 34:11 Nimble Culture Benefits 35:23 Shared Language and Veterans 36:46 Startup Feel and Growth 37:23 Resume and Career Shift 38:27 No Coasting Mindset 40:19 MI Advice Foundations 41:49 Build Your Network 44:25 API Summit and WIMI 45:45 Track Racing Hobby 51:25 Endurance Race Dreams 54:40 Wrap Up and Thanks Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations AIM – Asset Integrity Management API – American Petroleum Institute ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers CAD – Computer Assisted Design CCDs – Corrosion Control Documents COFs – Consequence of Failure CPDs – Continuing Professional Development CUI – Corrosion Under Insulation CWI – Certified Welding Inspector F1 – Formula 1 HSE – Health, Safety, & Environment IOW – Integrity Operating Windows MI – Mechanical Integrity MT – Magnetic Particle Testing P&IDs – Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams POFs – Probability of Failure PSM – Process Safety Management PT – Penetrant Testing QA/QC – Quality Assurance/Quality Control RBI – Risk-based Inspection R-Stamp – Certification of repairs issued by the National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors WIMI – Women in Mechanical Integrity UT – Ultrasonic Testing 944 – Porsche model Send a text & tell us what you think! Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection ! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at inspectionpodcast@gmail.com . Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed. Note: The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.
