Empowering Pumps & Equipment is a global online community, so it comes as no surprise that our Pump Person of the Week, Mikhail Gaibov, hails from Minsk, Belarus. Though Mr. Gaibov has recently moved to New York, he has worked with pumps, seals, boilers, pipelines, and rotating equipment over the last 17 years. Hear his fascinating story!
Q. How did you get into the pump industry?
Mikhail: I graduated from the Polytechnic Academy as an energy engineer for power plants and worked as a simple designer of power plant equipment at the State Power Engineering Institute. Then I worked in the procurement department at a power plant under construction and supervised orders for the manufacture of equipment: turbines, boilers, pumps, special fittings, pipelines. Next, I became a state inspector and main expert on the supervision of all 13 power plants in my country.
For many years, I checked the reliability of high-pressure equipment, conducted tests, controlled technical security. I am proud that for all my years of inspection and expert supervision of power plants, there was not a single accident with power equipment that I tested and cleared for operation.
Q. What do you like most about your work?
Mikhail: I am pleased that my technical articles, which I published in various journals back in 2002, are still relevant and on the Internet. I feel great joy when I meet and talk with my colleagues at exhibitions and seminars, who are working on similarly difficult tasks in other countries around the world. I especially like the exhibition ACHEMA in Frankfurt-am-Main! Though my native language is Russian, I speak English, German, and can talk with many colleagues from any country, even if we only understand every other word, it is fun to connect with others!
I love everything I am doing! I like the feeling of freedom of choice with suitable equipment selection! When designers or customers ask me to recommend a pump to solve a technical problem, I can offer them so many types of pumps, whether they are centrifugal, gear, blade, peristaltic, plunger, diaphragm, metering – I help them choose the right one for their application so they will be reliable! It all depends on the local conditions of pumping and the type of liquid. I try to steer people away from buying the cheapest pump – and even pumps from the most world-famous brands, if they are selected incorrectly, they will be ineffective and can fail.
It is important to not be a ‘fanatical’ supporter of just one brand or model – there are no “bad” brands or manufacturers! Work with manufacturers who have excellent engineers. You don’t ever want to work with an inexperienced specialist with insufficient knowledge; for example, if someone recommends a pump made of gray cast iron for a saltwater or acidic application, that’s not good because they should instead be applying newer, reliable metalloids or lined pumps. For each operating point, liquid, local conditions, and other parameters, pumps of different types and different manufacturers can be suitable. There is rapid innovations in technology and materials, work with good engineers who apply them.
Q. What advice would you give to someone new to the industry?
Mikhail: Beginners will need at least 2 to 3 years to learn about pumps and become professionals. Understands that every pump is not just a way to move fluid, but is really the heart of a system. It should be first of all reliable, but not “cheap”, and it must work non-stop! Therefore, new specialists should love their job, and work conscientiously to provide the best pump service.
Thank you, Mikhail, for being our Pump Person of the Week. We look forward to keeping up with you through the #PumpTalk Community!
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Mikhail Gaibov is a very nice person I met him through Linked In and had the amazing opportunity to work on developing marketing strategies for his visions in the pump industry.