The importance of in-house automation engineering in your service providers

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Are your flowback partners prepared in case something goes wrong?

Automation is taking the oil and gas industry by storm. While EnerCorp was the first to develop a fully autonomous job site for flowback with the industry-leading eFlowback ecosystem, there are now several companies offering “automated” solutions for sand management and flowback. 

The problem is that not all automated solutions have the same level of automation or engineering behind them. In many cases, operators aren’t aware there may be issues with their service provider until something goes wrong at the wellsite. And by then, it’s too late.

At EnerCorp, we believe that having in-house automation engineering services is critical to the success of any automated solution. It’s why eFlowback is still leading the oil and gas industry miles ahead of competitors. Our clients trust that we know how to respond in any situation, giving them complete peace of mind.

The problem with outsourced engineering and automation teams

Many sand management and flowback service providers that offer automated solutions work with outsourced integrators. While some third-party integrators are highly skilled, others can be detached from day-to-day operations. This can lead to knowledge and expertise gaps, which results in delayed service for operators when issues arise.

Often, vendors rotate staff, which means that the person you were dealing with on one occasion may not be the same person you deal with the next time. In fact, you may get a new person working on your automated flowback system every time you need support.

This can lead to communication breakdowns, longer downtimes, and a lack of accountability. No operator wants to deal with these types of issues because they do directly impact your bottom line.

Why in-house engineering and automation matter

Our in-house automation engineers are crucial to our success—and your success. Here are 5 reasons to choose a service provider that offers in-house automation engineering support for your sand management and flowback systems.

Reliability through in-house sand management and flowback expertise

At EnerCorp, the team that designed and engineered our automated flowback solution is the same team that supports the solution. This means they have a deep and comprehensive understanding of how every aspect of the solution works. If there is a problem, our in-house engineers can reference design and engineering plans to resolve the issue quickly, without causing increased downtime for operators.

Unlike some other service providers, we don’t rely on third-party integrators who may not fully understand all of the detailed nuances and processes regarding the automated flowback solution—or who may have conflicting priorities that don’t align with our clients.

Faster response with minimal non-productive time

With direct access to automation engineers, our clients experience some of the fastest response times in the industry. Our clients don’t need to wait in a service ticket queue from a third-party. As a result, our team can begin troubleshooting earlier, minimizing delays and non-productive time.

In many cases, we can resolve issues remotely and in real time, since there is no need to coordinate with external vendors or unfamiliar support staff. eFlowback includes remote diagnostics and live telemetry, so that we can provide proactive support before minor issues evolve into critical ones.

Fully trained and highly skilled operations team

eFlowback operators are trained by our in-house engineers, who are the ones that designed and developed the technology. They have first-hand experience of running the entire eFlowback ecosystem. In addition, we offer regular training and knowledge transfer sessions to ensure readiness in the field at all times.

Our team also includes dedicated electrical and instrumentation (E&I) specialists, who are fully integrated into our processes. This ensures clean design, proper commissioning, and rapid field service. There is no miscommunication between engineering, install teams, and automation contractors because everyone operates under the same umbrella. 

Engineering support beyond launch

eFlowback, the original automated flowback system, is not a set-it-and-forget-it solution. It’s constantly monitored, maintained, and improved by the engineers who built it. That team supports eFlowback during the full lifecycle of the system, all the way from design to scale up and operation.

Taking a data-driven approach, we strive to improve performance and implement updates based on our customers’ operational needs. We have a tight feedback loop with our team, ensuring there are no delays or miscommunication. This is because we don’t need to deal with external teams that are unfamiliar with the equipment or site history.

Freedom from PO and budget constraints

As an internal engineering and automation team, we’re not bound by POs. When you have an automation issue, we’re there to help because we invest our time where it matters. If you need support with improving uptime, streamlining workflows, or training your team, we’re here.

On the other hand, third-party contractors are often limited in scope by their purchase orders. Operators may have to deal with new costs (and delays) whenever they have a small change to the original PO. This results in deferred maintenance and reactive support rather than proactive automation optimization.