“Knowledge sharing is key” An interview with Dow’s leading materials expert

With almost 30 years of experience in the materials discipline David is a renowned expert on the topic and has an undiminished enthusiasm for his chosen field of expertise. He spoke to Stainless Steel World about his role in the company and his passion for his work: “Metallurgy and the challenges of achieving improved performance and efficiencies in the materials discipline have always been at the core of my work. I still enjoy finding solutions to challenges we face in the field and passing on the knowledge I have accumulated over my career to the next generation.”

USA a large user of duplex

Although there tends to be a perception within Europe that there is proportionally less duplex being specified in the US, David is quick to challenge this. “It is certainly incorrect for Dow anyway, as we use a significant amount of duplex and have had internal specifications for the material for around 25 years. I don’t feel that this is unusual among American end users; other chemical companies also use duplexes and it’s not an uncommon material for our fabricators to be working with. Welding was considered something of a challenge back in the early 1990s but those days are long gone for our fabricators.”

When asked if he has seen any recent trends in the use of materials David replies: “We are certainly bolder about using titanium than we were in the past and we now use a lot more of that in our processes. As a result of several acquisitions in the company we have also gained a lot of knowledge about using zirconium and tantalum and are now specifying more of both these metals. However that is only a trend within our company.”

“Personally I think that one of the most significant challenges that end users face in the materials discipline has been the reduction in the number of technical staff employed by many companies. While we operate within a lean business model, Dow has worked hard to reverse this trend recently with increased hiring taking place. I’m now seeing that happening in other companies as well. However across the industry in general I think it’s fair to say that experience with materials is not as broad as it could or should be in the end user community.”

Sustainability is a hot topic in the materials industry and David explains that Dow is also doing its part to operate sustainability. “For example within the materials discipline we aim to select materials that will last the lifetime of the plant as we design it. This means that we don’t use more material than is needed. In addition, using the minimum quantity means that that we can lower the weight and cost of the materials used, which is also a sustainable approach.”

Considering the supply of materials across the global materials discipline, David was quick to identify availability as one of the main challenges he faces. “Getting the material you need, when you need it is crucial. This is particularly important when sourcing suitable components at a specific location.” “If there was one message that I’d like to pass on to materials manufacturers it would be that as an end user company we are not an R&D facility for materials; we must rely on the manufacturers to carry out corrosion tests to determine the best materials for certain environments. That materials data needs to be available to us in literature and on line at all times. While this is the case to a certain degree, I would encourage manufacturers to continue investing in their capacity and staff to carry out corrosion testing in-house. It’s something that end users simply do not have the staff or budget to do themselves.”

Importance of face to face events

Given that I was speaking to David during the Stainless Steel World conference I asked him how important this type of technical event was for his profession. He was quick to answer: “In my job it’s becoming increasingly important to attend conferences. Events like this fulfil an important role because face to face communication is key; you simply can’t do it all through email. It is essential to be out in the market meeting people and building relationships.” “Looking ahead to Duplex World in October, I am looking forward to learning more about developments in the use of lean duplex both in terms of new uses for the material and the increased commercial availability of the material in more components, different product forms, etc.”

About David Barber

David gained a BSc and MSc in metallurgical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. He started at Dow as a Plant Metallurgical Engineer supporting activities relating to corrosion, material selection analysis, welding and fabrication. He advanced through the company’s ranks to become the Corporate Expert in High Temperatures. In 2006 he became Global Welding Expert in the Maintenance & Technology Centre. In 2013 David was promoted to Global Improvement Leader Materials Engineering Discipline.

About DowDuPont

On August 31, 2017 Dow Chemical and DuPont merged and became the world’s largest chemical company in terms of sales with a combined entity of approximately USD $130 billion. The merger brought together two innovative, science-based companies that hold leadership positions in the Agriculture, Materials Science and Specialty Products industries. Within 18 months the company will be split into three publicly-traded companies which will focus on the following: agriculture, materials science (which will be named Dow), and specialty products.

Meet David at Duplex World

Meet David Barber and a whole host of other end users, experts and suppliers at Duplex World which takes place in Dusseldorf, Germany, 9&10 October 2018. Visit www.duplexworld.com for details.