Category Archives: BrandSafway

JA Electronics Q&A

RUSTY interviews JA Electronics VP Michael Grace

RUSTY Talks to Michael Grace, Vice President of JA Electronics

MATCOR is excited to welcome JA Electronics to the BrandSafway family, bringing decades of expertise and a range of cathodic protection rectifiers and other CP accessories to MATCOR customers.

We recently sat down with JA Electronics’ VP Michael Grace for this informative interview.

RUSTY: Michael, first off, welcome to the BrandSafway family – what do you think of your new logo?

MICHAEL: JA Electronics has a long and proud history of servicing the Cathodic Protection industry dating back to 1980. BrandSafway’s acquisition of the company marks a new and exciting chapter in that history.

The new logo is a great way to reflect on our past and look forward to our future as part of BrandSafway’s growing set of Corrosion and Integrity businesses. We are very excited about the opportunities ahead of us.

RUSTY: Other than a new logo, what big changes do you see coming for JA Electronics?

MICHAEL: Let’s start by saying what is not going to change—we are going to continue to supply the highest quality rectifiers on the market and do so at very competitive rates. JA Electronics has earned its reputation of providing rectifiers that are built to perform for the long haul. We are not changing our manufacturing team—our rectifiers are proudly built in Stafford, Texas by a team of experienced and dedicated rectifier assembly professionals. Another thing that will not change is our customer service. We stand behind our products and provide world class technical support.

What will change is our relationship with MATCOR. As a fellow BrandSafway company, MATCOR and JA Electronics will be actively looking at ways to partner our products and services. MATCOR, like JA Electronics, is an established name in the cathodic protection industry with a reputation for outstanding products and a long history of innovation. We expect to see collaboration with MATCOR on marketing efforts, shared R&D initiatives, and a closer pairing of our offerings to our customers to add greater value.

RUSTY: What makes JA Electronics a great value proposition?

MICHAEL: JA Electronics’ rectifiers are highly respected in the marketplace for their quality and reliability, a reputation that we have earned over the past 40 years.

Our conservative design basis sets us apart from other rectifier manufacturers. Our transformers, bridge stacks and wiring assemblies are all designed with a 20% safety factor. There are other features and material selection choices that we make to further enhance the reliability of our rectifiers. These design choices result in a higher quality product and allow us to offer a 2 year standard warranty, when most of our competitors limit their warranty to 1 year.

RUSTY: Are JA Rectifiers priced at a premium relative to other rectifiers in the market?

MICHAEL: There is a perception with some in our industry that JA Rectifiers are higher-end rectifiers and cost more than other brands. But the reality is that our rectifiers are cost-competitive with other suppliers even with the great value that we offer. Give JA Electronics a shot—we think you will be surprised at our competitiveness with other rectifier suppliers.

RUSTY: Why are aluminum enclosures better for cathodic protection rectifiers? What’s wrong with galvanized steel?

MICHAEL: Well, there is nothing wrong with galvanized steel enclosures. They’re just not as good as the aluminum enclosures that JA Electronics supplies. We prefer aluminum for its lightweight, anti-corrosive and thermal conductivity properties; whereas galvanized steel is significantly heavier, typically more expensive and does not provide the same level of corrosion resistance in outdoor installations that aluminum offers. The weight savings translates into reduced shipping costs and easier handling during installation. The aluminum enclosures we provide will never rust as aluminum will naturally react with the environment to create a thin oxidizing layer that protects the enclosure. We consider aluminum to be the superior enclosure material.

RUSTY: Is there anything we did not cover that the MATCOR customers might find useful to know about JA Electronics?

MICHAEL: We have a QuickTurn program that covers some of our most common sizes of rectifiers, and we will be looking to expand on this program working with MATCOR to better serve our customers’ needs.

BrandSafway Acquires JA Electronics Manufacturing Company

Together MATCOR® by BrandSafway and JA Electronics will provide full range of cathodic protection and corrosion control solutions.

KENNESAW, Ga., April 9, 2021 — BrandSafway has acquired JA Electronics Manufacturing Company, a privately owned business, specializing in providing the corrosion control industry with cathodic protection equipment, custom engineered using the latest technology.

“By bringing JA Electronics Manufacturing products and solutions to MATCOR and BrandSafway, we will be able to more effectively grow our cathodic protection and corrosion control business,” said Dave Witsken, president of Industrial, Energy and Commercial for BrandSafway. “We’re also excited that JA Electronics’ solar-powered rectifiers will enhance BrandSafway’s ongoing ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) efforts.”

Cathodic Protection Rectifier
Oil Cooled Rectifier

MATCOR by BrandSafway delivers cathodic protection and corrosion control solutions for major infrastructure assets, including oil, gas, and water pipelines, above-ground storage tanks, power plants, energy facilities, deep wells, and steel-in-concrete structures worldwide. JA Electronics’ industry-leading corrosion protection rectifiers, controllers, boxes, anodes, testing equipment, and additional grounded materials are an ideal complement to MATCOR’s business. JA Electronics and MATCOR’s combined customers will benefit from a broader range of solutions and greater depth of expertise in cathodic protection and corrosion control.

Founded in 1984 and located in Stafford, Texas, JA Electronics has a proven leadership team, committed to the highest industry safety and quality standards. “This is a great opportunity for JA Electronics
and our employees,” said Jesse R. Marion, JA Electronics president and CEO. “JA Electronics has an experienced team with a great depth of knowledge in manufacturing cathodic protection and corrosion control equipment, which will complement the expertise that BrandSafway has in access, scaffolding, forming, shoring, and related industrial services.”

About MATCOR

In business since 1975, MATCOR by BrandSafway provides services and products that solve corrosion problems globally for major infrastructure assets such as oil, gas, and water pipelines, above-ground storage tanks, power plants, energy facilities, well casings, and steel-in-concrete structures. MATCOR is a turnkey ISO 9001:2015 certified provider of customized cathodic protection products and systems combined with high-quality corrosion engineering, installation, and maintenance. The company maintains specialized CIS (close interval survey) teams and a large fleet of construction equipment. MATCOR’s manufacturing plant is located in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, and the company maintains field service and sales offices in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wyoming and Western Pennsylvania, in addition to a growing list of international distributors. For more information about MATCOR, visit www.matcor.com.

About BrandSafway

With a commitment to safety as its foremost value, BrandSafway provides the broadest range of solutions with the greatest depth of expertise to the industrial, commercial and infrastructure markets. Through a network of 340 strategic locations across 30 countries and more than 38,000 employees, BrandSafway delivers a full range of forming, shoring, scaffolding, work access and industrial service solutions. BrandSafway supports maintenance and refurbishment projects as well as new construction and expansion plans with unmatched service from expert local labor and management. Today’s BrandSafway is At Work For You™ — leveraging innovation and economies of scale to increase safety and productivity, while remaining nimble and responsive. For more information about BrandSafway, visit www.brandsafway.com.

MATCOR Safety Week—Planning for Success

In January, MATCOR held a one-week Safety training program for our Louisiana, Houston, Midland, Guthrie and Casper construction and field technical personnel. A total of 58 field personnel, excluding management and safety trainers, were taken out of the field, and brought to our Guthrie, Oklahoma facility for this training.

MATCOR - Corrosion Industry Safety

Taking a week off from performing paid work to focus on Safety is an important part of our commitment to Safety.

The training was broken into smaller teams and held in various meeting locations in two different buildings to allow us to provide proper social distancing to protect our employees during this period of COVID-19. The precautionary measures allowed us to safely train a large group of people without a single incident of COVID-19 transmission.

Topics covered included an 8-hour Basic Plus and Basic Plus Refresher course administered by the Oklahoma Safety Council, Excavation Competent Person training, Fork Lift and Backhoe Equipment Training, Operator Qualification certification, H2S ½ day training, CPR and First Aid, and training on BrandSafway Internal Safety Programs including Short Service Employee, Incident Reporting, Driving Safety Refresher, Confined Space, Fall Protection, Walking Surfaces, Job Safety Planning, Drug and Alcohol Policy, DOT Motor Vehicle Record requirements and a host of other topics. Trainers included outside third party trainers and in-house trainers from BrandSafway and MATCOR.

MATCOR continues to invest in our people, so that they are well prepared to perform their work in a safe and professional manner. 


Have questions or need a quote for cathodic protection or AC mitigation materials or services? Contact us at the link below. For immediate assistance, please call +1-215-348-2974.

Contact a Corrosion Expert

Leak Detection and Repair

What is leak detection and repair (LDAR)?

Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) Programs are put in place to monitor process equipment leaks for fugitive emissions in the petrochemical industry. Solid LDAR programs are critical in controlling fugitive emissions of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, that cause pollution and safety risks for facility workers and operators, and the environment.

LDAR - Leak Detection and Repair
Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) Programs are put in place to monitor process equipment leaks for fugitive emissions in the petrochemical industry.

Maintaining refinery process equipment through an LDAR program mitigates these risks. Utilizing leak detection equipment to identify equipment leaks and then repairing those leaks in a timely manner enables operators to prevent most most fugitive emissions occurrences. In addition, successful leak detection and repair programs prevent product loss that impacts facility efficiencies and economics, the health and safety of workers, and the environment.

The article reviews fugitive emissions regulations and lays out a 5-step plan to build LDAR programs that accurately represent your project requirements.

Leak Detection and Repair Program Steps

Step 1: Develop Your Standard Operating Procedures

The first step in developing a successful leak detection and repair program is a cooperative endeavor between you and an LDAR expert to complete, approve and adopt your standard operating procedures (SOP).

Step 2: Laws Governing Your LDAR Program

In the second step, your LDAR team will research and share comprehensive knowledge of the permits, regulation(s), consolidation agreements, consent decrees, permit(s), and/or binding agreements governing your facility’s LDAR program.

Step 3: Your LDAR Unit Equipment Information Packet

In step three, your team will set up a database of regulations for each unit in your facility. The LDAR team funnels, filters, and identifies congestion overlap and applicable LDAR regulations of varying stringency into a condensed table called a Unit Equipment Information Packet. This is a comprehensive knowledge base for all who need to know more about the LDAR program on a unit-by-unit basis at the subject facility.

Step 4: Facility Process Flow Diagrams

In the fourth step, the LDAR team obtains your facility’s process flow diagrams (PFD’s), piping and instrument diagrams (P&ID’s), the P&ID abbreviations key, material balance sheets, and stream speciation data from the appropriate contact identified in your SOP in Step 1. Smart software is then utilized to highlight or color-code the P&ID’s according to stream state and service. Then the field review begins.

Step 5: Component Inventory Database and Monitoring

In the fifth step, detailed data is collected on a daily basis for affected components. The LDAR team reviews all affected components for accuracy and compliance, and perform necessary correction. All corrections are updated in the database. Monitoring commences as scheduled according to the applicable regulation set up in your LDAR Unit Equipment Information Packet in Step 2. Finally, we initiate a monthly QA/QC process to ensure ongoing compliance.

Many regulations and a lot of detailed data are involved in designing a best-in-class LDAR program to ensure regulatory compliance when it comes to fugitive emissions. It is critical to review all data reports with your facility’s operations and environmental department for understanding and acknowledgement of completion and ongoing compliance.


Why BrandSafway for LDAR Solutions?

BrandSafway offers 150 years of management experience, cutting-edge technology and a highly effective data management system to ensure successful LDAR programs and more, while ensuring regulatory compliance with USEPA Method 21 and other mandated requirements for VOC monitoring.

LDAR Leak Detection and Repair Services

Learn about comprehensive LDAR Solutions from Brandsafway

MATCOR and BrandSafway are committed to being a valuable partner, providing a one-stop resource for industrial work solutions. By bringing together our expertise in both midstream and specialty services, we can better integrate and streamline asset and equipment management solutions for our customers in both the oil & gas and power markets.

Please click the link below to contact us if you have any questions about leak detection and repair, or if you’d like a quote for LDAR services.

Contact a Corrosion Expert

MATCOR Now Part of BrandSafway Integrity Services Group

In June 2017, MATCOR’s parent company Brand Energy and Infrastructural Services joined forces with Safway Group to form one even greater company – BrandSafway – providing world class services to industrial, commercial and infrastructure companies through 350 locations in 30 countries. In January 2018, BrandSafway announced the formation of the “Integrity Services Group”, combining Midstream/MATCOR, LDAR and Industrial Specialty Services into one powerful group of over 500 employees, each uniquely qualified to supply our customers with safe, integrated and high-performing asset management and protection services, as well as regulatory compliance solutions.

Read the full press release

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