Case Study: From Field to Office - Everyone Benefits from Automation
Company Profile
Mack Energy Co. is an independent oil and gas business located in Duncan, Oklahoma. Mack Energy operates more than 350 wells in Oklahoma and Kansas. Production Superintendent Randy Smith has worked with Mack Energy since 1985. Reservoir Engineer Danny Bryant, with nearly 20 years in the oil and gas industry, has been with Mack Energy for about three years.
Starting out
When Mack Energy set out to find an automated system for data collection in the field they knew they wanted one that would allow numerous staff members to have access to timely data they need to do their jobs more effectively.
The FieldDIRECT® service from IHS fills those needs. From pumpers to the top company management, everyone at Mack Energy now has better access to up-to-date production data.
"We reviewed several options before choosing FieldDIRECT. We felt that the overall package offered by FieldDIRECT for $10 a month per well as a license, instead of requiring a lot of up-front costs, was a good fit with what we wanted to accomplish," said Randy Smith.
Company-wide implementation
During the first two months that Mack Energy began implementing FieldDIRECT, its pumpers maintained a dual recording system to test the integrity of the new service. At the end of the two months, the "pumpers were more than ready to get rid of the old paper system," said Danny Bryant. The pumpers feel that the FieldDIRECT service is saving them time in the field by providing them with the right tools to do their jobs efficiently.
Traditionally, Mack's Field Foremen received production reports on a monthly basis - complete, "clean" information, but with the prior month's data. By giving them access to FieldDIRECT, they now view their pumpers' activities daily. This service is giving them timely access to up-to-date data they need to make field-level decisions. Decisions that impact well activities much quicker than when their opportunity to view data lagged well behind actual production.
"Since we've started using FieldDIRECT, I would estimate that my production clerk is spending as much as four days per month less processing data than before."
— Randy Smith, Production Superintendent
Back at the office, the Production and Engineering staff also use FieldDIRECT on a daily basis. This access to the most up-to-date production data available is allowing them to quickly identify short-term developments. For example, FieldDIRECT automatically plots data into a variety of graphical formats so trends are quickly and visually identified - trends that can be acted on to make changes impacting production and therefore, the company's revenue. "We have found that the trend data is key for quick decision-making," said Smith.
One-time data entry saves time and money
While a percentage of staff time had typically been devoted to basic data management such as re-entering and auditing data and data conversion into charts, FieldDIRECT has eliminated the need for re-entry of well data since it is recorded once and transmitted electronically. The numerous audits, sub-reporting, data conversion and basic drudgery of data management have been reduced.
"Since we've started using FieldDIRECT, I would estimate that my production clerk is spending as much as four days per month less processing data than before," added Smith.
Secure and accurate information access standard
As a Web-based service, FieldDIRECT provides Mack Energy users with a central location for secure access to its data. Previously, marketing, accounting and regulatory shared information back and forth with production and generated reports for a variety of in-house and external needs. Now, FieldDIRECT provides everyone company-wide with timely access to the same accurate data from one source.
Overall, Mack Energy's management appreciates that its employees are making decisions based on the most up-to-date information available.
Contact us now for more information on how FieldDIRECT can help you.
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