Growth Stimulates Appointments For Novel Completion Technology Specialist
Posted: 18 July 2005
Novel technology specialist Easywell, which offers swelling elastomer completion products, has appointed two new members of staff to support growth in Latin American and Russian oil markets.
Following on from its successful expansion into Kuala Lumpur , Houston and Dubai last year, Easywell has now appointed Gregg Zemke as regional manager for Russia based in Moscow and Oscar Barrios as regional manager for Latin America based in Venezuela .
Zemke studied civil engineering at Michigan Technological University and then petroleum technology at North Western Michigan College in the US . He joined Schlumberger/Dowell in 1979, working initially as an operator and supervisor on fracturing and cementing jobs in the US . He then served as field engineer in the US and in various locations in India and the Middle East . From 1994 until 2000 he was an operations manager in the US , then in Western Siberia , and returned to the US to supervise fracturing operations from 2000 to 2001. He then moved to Treesavers International and subsequently joined Stinger Wellhead Pr otection prior to being appointed at Easywell. He has been a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers since 1987.
Zemke says Russia is full of future potential: “ Russia is developing as a super power in the global petroleum market and in order to maintain the required rate of expansion there, innovative technologies that increase efficiency and add value are needed,” he says.
Simplicity and economics are key issues for operations there. “Because of the vast distances involved and the remote locations in Russia , coupled with harsh environmental conditions, there are huge logistical challenges to overcome, so technology which does not need large amounts of equipment and specialist personnel is required. Because Easywell completion technologies are designed to be stand alone solutions, they will allow operators to complete wells more quickly and reliably.”
He adds: “The market in Russia is growing rapidly for all petroleum-related businesses and services. New applications for our technologies will emerge as new fields are discovered and developed. The growth potential for us and others in Russia is enormous and it will continue for many years.”
Barrios graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in petroleum engineering and later received a second degree in economics from the Universidad del Zulia in Venezuela , then an MBA from Houston ’s Letourneau university.
His career commenced with Otis Engineering Corporation - a Halliburton company – where he progressed from engineering trainee to regional manager, specialising in well completion and production, developing an extensive knowledge of reservoir engineering. He also worked in business development and integrated solutions roles. After a spell with Schlumberger in business development for well completion products, applying his knowledge to multilateral and intelligent completions, he became vice president of Weatherford’s Latin America well completions division, involved in operations and marketing in most countries there.
For Barrios, the South American oilfield market faces several technical issues: “Zonal isolation in long horizontal wells; heavy oil sand control and water management, along with multi-zone isolation in vertical wells are key drivers here, coupled with opportunities for replacement of traditional zonal isolation techniques and other higher risk technologies.”
“There are lots of oil reserves in Latin America , with production of 14 million barrels of oil per day. More than 80% of the oil is produced onshore and 20% offshore, with the potential for much more growth in the offshore sector. There are also lots of reservoir compartmentalization and shale problems here, plus downhole sand and water problems, along with difficulties in primary cementing operations. We provide technologies which can help our customers overcome these.”
Commenting on the appointments, Easywell’s commercialisation manager Steve Kent said: “Easywell has pursued a clear growth strategy, securing entry to all significant markets around the world and supporting these through an expanding network of global operations. We attribute this success to a strong focus on innovation and continued development of our product technology.”
Posted by Editor Pipeline Magazine
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