The oil and gas industry is one of the oldest since the Industrial Revolution, and has offered a massive contribution to human progress. Today, just like the majority of current businesses, the future is uncertain.
In the Midwest oil, gas, and mining are within the top five paying jobs in the region at an average $57.7K, according to Statistica Atlas.
Likewise, North Dakota is among the top 10 oil-rich states in the country, and about 2.8% of North Dakota’s workforce is employed in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, the sixth-highest proportion in the nation, according to USA Today.
On a global level, no-one knows how fast the green energy revolution will decrease market share of traditional energy sources. Regardless of the energy mix in the coming half a century, who can say what percentage of labor will replaced by automation? (This is the case for most industries).
Just as a perfected self driving car would reduce accidents to practically zero, so might similar advances in energy. Perhaps one day in the future, all of our energy needs will be provided by solar? Until such a time, we all have choices to make for ourselves, and our families.
We’re all used to the evolution of technology and industry, and the embrace of new solutions. Once a better way is found, its impossible to go back. The smart phone won’t be uninvented, and it’s unlikely that blockchain technology will be abandoned.
Whatever the longer term future holds, the most successful companies of today focus on doing things better than yesterday.
One such company is Relentless Pursuit of Perfection Ltd (rp²), owned by Dave Taylor. For 17 years, Taylor and his performance coaches have helped more than 200 well drilling teams improve performance. Through team building and technical workshops, and the implementation of the latest in ‘Lean’ industrial thinking, rp² has helped save millions for individual companies.
2014-17 saw the worst oil industry downturn in at least 30 years. In 2017, rp² had the second busiest years in its history. Taylor said:
“Recessions are busy times for bankruptcy firms, and booms are good for luxury car sales. There isn’t a person, company or industry that can’t benefit from increases in productivity and efficiency, regardless of market conditions.”
Creating the most cost effective and efficient well management solutions increases productivity, safety and team harmony. Saving time and money is great, but creating the safest plan will help avoid accidents, both human and environmental. This is something that the rp² team is most proud of. It’s the human factors in industry that are most important, and financially incalculable.
In August 2015, rp² took over drillers.com, which was the first oil and gas jobs website in the world (est.1996). The website was rebuilt and drillers.com was relaunched a year ago, with the goal of becoming one of the energy industries most exciting start-ups.
Taylor and his team have a plan, to introduce some new cost saving and efficiency ideas to the industry. They’re doing this on a grander scale than simply during seminars and workshops.
Drillers.com is going to be a one stop shop for upstream oil and gas industry solutions. Most people in the industry will be able to benefit from drillers.com. Users might range from an undergraduate petrochemical or engineering student, to a rig team for any of the largest energy companies in the world.
The educational part of the website is growing month on month, with easy to understand knowledge base articles added regularly. Those who are already experienced can benefit from finding out about training and events, as well as having access to technical tools such as the section covering mathcad drilling calculations.
Uber is offering dynamic solutions in relation to the ‘on demand’ transport industry. Air BnB is doing the same for short term accommodation. Drillers.com will offer similar cost efficient and flexible solutions to the energy industry by facilitating an on demand marketplace.
At the moment, drillers.com has a team of experts and partner companies that can offer short term and ad hoc solutions for an array of services. Soon, the manpower section of the business will be revamped. Dave and the team at rp² are actively in discussions to teaming up with other oilfield service companies. They expect to eventually cover most upstream services.
Regardless of the future of energy, or the oil and gas industry, there will be plenty of opportunity for finding better ways to do business, right now.
Jason Lavis
This is a sponsored article by Jason Lavis, Partner and Webmaster at drillers.com. Founder of Out of the Box Innovations & NatResPro. Copywriter and SEO specialist.