TMCnet News
Quest Automated Services - Digital Oilfield Automation Company Saves Customer a FortuneDavid Monico, an oil producer and operator, from Victoria County, Texas, says he was able to avoid a disaster thanks to a high-tech tool. "I got an alert on my cell phone in the middle of the night and it saved me a bundle," says Monico. Quest Automated Services leases and installs equipment that monitors pump sites around the clock. Tied to users' phones, the oilfield automation technology provides pump control, flow measurement, motor control and emergency shutdown, among other on-site abilities. "During a recent holiday weekend, my salt water tank was within a couple of feet of spilling over," explains Monico. "It would have run downhill into a pond where some very expensive cattle and horses get their water. It could have been disastrous." Monico received a text message alert around 2 in the morning and he was able to shut everything down from his phone before any damage was done. "It's a very costly mistake when something goes wrong," said Mark Patton (News - Alert), the president of uest Automated Services. "The cost depends on the mistake and the ripple effect. It's not just the spill, it's the down time and manpower it takes to get a site back online. The loss of production could be a few days or weeks. Such a situation can cost a company for just a moderate-producing site," according to Patton. Monico says the ongoing savings each month is several thousand dollars. "The service more than pays for itself," says Monico. "I'm able to see how my tanks are doing in real time and make sure no time is wasted." Without the digital oilfield technology, a gauge man typically checks on sites every 24 hours, meaning a problem could go undetected long enough to have significant impact on operations. Quest Automated Services offers its digital monitoring alternative for as low as $75 a month, the minimum service, and others at a few hundred dollars. Customers pay different amounts depending on the scope of service. Once the equipment is on site, customers can control much of it from their phones. Since Quest Automated Services launched the company two years ago, they have acquired oil and gas customers throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. They've received calls inquiring about their services from companies in Pennsylvania and even Kuwait, according to Patton. "I'm addicted to checking it on my phone," Monico says. "It's like having extra staff out there all the time, only it's a lot less expensive." More information about Quest Automated Services http://www.questautomatedservices.com/site/
|
