WIRELINE ISSUE 27 SPRING 2014

PRODUCTDEVELOPMENT

SUPPLYCHAIN

also akeydriver forAGR inAberdeen. The company specialises inwells; health, safety, environment andquality; reservoir; and fieldmanagement services, and, in doing so, has alsodeveloped software products in linewith their experiences. The result is thatAGR’s previously specialist software solutions division

In it for the long-haul Meta’s origins lie inwell logging andout of that grew anunderstandingofwell integrity. InDecember2013,Meta’s Metalmorphology solutionwon the leading commercial application category at thePlattsGlobal EnergyAwards in NewYork.

focusedonmetallurgical, drilling and well engineering disciplines, aswell as on recreating authentic downhole conditions in-house. “It’s not easy todo these things and it takes time,”Kevin says. “Inour case it was crucial thatwe had the know-how coupledwith facilities that allowedus to do thework safely and securely.” The deployment of practices such as peer group reviews and thirdpartywitnessing are,Kevinbelieves, also key, enabling the company to gain an independent perspective on its activitieswhilst lending extra credibility to the process. Aligning technical andgrowth-focused strategic roadmaps in thisway is essential. Kevin adds: “We look forways to improve existingproducts butwedo train a fairbit of our revenue towards ‘blue sky’R&D. We structureour company in such away thatwe are a ‘product’ business.” Fieldperspective Also influencedby ‘on the field’experience, AGR’scultureof innovation is founded in partbymovingaway froma ‘stickyour finger in theair’ approach, saysChris. Henotes that the feedbackreceived from users ispivotal to sustaining thatculture. “The feedback from clients, aswell as fromour engineers using the technology onprojectsworldwide, flows directly into ourdevelopment agenda,”Chris adds. “That’s extremelyuseful –you’regetting real-lifeusage first-hand fromengineers.”

“The feedback from clients, as well as from our engineers using the technology on projects worldwide, flows directly into our development agenda. That's extremely useful – you're getting real life usage first-hand from engineers."

is now a core function in its global organisational structure. “When it comes todevelopment,we look at themarket and analyse it,” explains Chris Ferrier, directorof software solutions atAGR. “It’s all about spotting thegaps–what’s the issueorproblem involved, andhowdowe address it?” ForKevin Stewart, chief executive of downhole isolation specialistMeta, based inAberdeen, the focus is similarly upon applying the firm’s entrepreneurial vision to themarket. “There’s no point innovating something that no-one wants, but if itmakes sensewe’ll go ahead and do it,” he says. “You have to make sure, of course, that your product is either savingmoney for your clients ormaking themmoney; it has to be commercially viable.We look to tick both boxes in that context.”

The technology principle is to shape metal downhole using hydraulic fluid pressure.This creates a ‘metal-to-metal isolation’ that conforms and creates a seal to the shape of the casing or formation. The result is a range of high axial load-bearing products (liner tieback, internal clad, open hole barrier and casing reconnect) that are underpinnedbyMetalmorphology to ensure isolation integrity over thewell’s life cycle. Research anddevelopment (R&D)was basedon the company’s technology know-how anddirect industry experiencewhich spans nearly three decades. The resulting suite of products exemplifies the ‘long game’ approach that innovating companies often have to take.Meta spent eight years developing, testing up toV0 gas-tight standard, and field trialling the technology,withR&D

AGR’s logistics andmaterials management programme –M² – is based on the company’s own ‘on the field’ experience

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