We just wanted to throw out a BIG “thank you!” to the Oklahoma Marginal Well Commission for putting together the Lease Pumper Handbook for pumpers, gaugers, and well tenders everywhere…

For those of you unfamiliar with the Marginal Well Commission, their mission is to define, identify, and evaluate the economic and operational factors of marginally producing oil and natural gas wells, and to ensure that appropriate efforts are made to extend the life of these wells…

With 500 some-odd pages on the topic of “oil lease pumping”, the handbook is a great introduction for the beginner pumper — or, the one-off app company that’s breaking its back to make great software for operators and their pumpers 🙂

MWC has posted PDF hot-links to every chapter here

**UPDATE! As of 7/3/2013, links are broken… most likely due to MWC being absorbed by the OERB — anyways, we hate to see such a useful document go away, so until we hear something, we’ll post it here:

Lease Pumpers Handbook

Also, oilfield.com has scraped and re-posted the contents of the pumper’s handbook, which can be viewed by clicking here

Enjoy!! (… ’cause we certainly did!)

Last month, head engineer of IT Operations for one of the country’s largest operators called to inquire about GreaseBook oil and gas production software (a simple mobile designed explicitly for the independent operators and their pumpers).

His company has a net value of $20BB dollars, and operates close to 10,000 wells in the continental US. This engineer, who we’ll call Will, told us that he had fit every one of his production assets over a certain CAPEX with the latest in real-time optimization tools and sensors, and outfitted every man in his army of pumpers with a “dog bone” device — enabling his gaugers to drive up to any lease and immediately download its production data.

So, what the heck did he want with GreaseBook?

Will had a hunch (or, what some may classify as more of a sinking feeling…)

While the large independents and the supermajors had entrenched themselves in advanced analytics software, data repositories, and massive IT departments to oversee it all — when it comes to managing their production, they may have missed the mark (uggh).

Basically, what took some of these companies the better part of a decade to design and build, can now be replicated by the small independent operator, with better results, in less than an afternoon. You see, Will’s company had been so concerned about systems design, that they had forgotten all about the human element of operating an oil & gas lease…

Will told us, “What you guys have done is blend the new with the old… where our Pumpers have virtually no interaction with our properties, your system forces pumpers to tune-in to the pulse of the well. This pays out dividends in time savings to engineers and operations managers, who no longer have to spend time micro managing their pumpers, and admin who no longer have to track down and file those greasy run tickets.”

Business is forever on the lookout for a technical whiz-bang that promises to automate away part of the work.

So, why do people focus on the technical rather than the human side of work?

Not because it’s more crucial – but because it’s easier to do. Building systems is easy. Dealing with people is difficult. However, for software to be successful, it must focus on the human elements, not the technical. And, companies that forget this are setting themselves up for failure…

You see, large companies (like Will’s) looked at production software from the IT mindset – control and compartmentalize – ahead of the benefits the organization could gain by enabling its teams through a simple mobile app.

E&P Magazine, one of the most authoritative publications of the industry knows we’re on to something. In fact, they were kind enough to lend us the keys to their platform and allowed us to pen them an article entitled “The Consumerization of the Oil & Gas Enterprise”.

Why did they do this? Because just like Will, they recognized the potential time savings and production increases the independent operator stands to gain from iPads and iPhones.

Folks, there has never been such a power reversal in the history of oil & gas.

What do we mean by this?

Unlike the Majors, your company doesn’t have to design, build, and deploy its own field data collection system. Moreover, you don’t have to dedicate time to tracking down pumpers, organizing paperwork, and making sense of it all. You now have the opportunity to focus 100% of your efforts on what you do best: producing oil.

Now, how exactly how does your company become the envy of its larger, more “sophisticated” brethren?

For more on the GreaseBook App, go here: www.greasebook.com

Wanna read that E&P article? You can do so by clicking here…

Every day, well tenders, contract pumper companies, and oil & gas operators inquire into the GreaseBook Well Tender app… the caller has usually been referred to us by one of our clients, checks out our website, and decides to call.

Besides cost, the operator is generally interested in two things:

1. reduction in-house field related admin work, and

2. increased production

Because GreaseBook captures and stores images of paper run tickets, and gathers and displays your production data (think: no more calling your pumpers to remind them submit their paper gauge sheets and Excel production files), no one questions GreaseBook’s ability to eliminate the in-house field related admin work that goes with operating oil & gas wells.

However, most operators want to know how an app can increase oil & gas production.

Allow us explain…

To maximize the production of a marginal well, you must make a thorough examination of the well’s history. To get the most oil from a stripper well, you must not only have the desire to continually work with the well, but you must also understand how the well was completed, identify what changes will be required to maintain profitable production, and decide when these changes must be made.

Not only must your Well Tender make good decisions every day and work consistently at the job, but to be effective he must also develop a deep understanding of production. When visiting a lease, a few things should always be at the top of the well tender’s mind:

1. Type of reservoir.

2. Flow at each well. Is it increasing?

3. Does the efficiency of the chemicals need to be retested?

4. What are offset operators doing to stimulate production?

5. A large pump moves liquid quickly. Is this the best way?

6. A small pump moves liquid slowly. Is this the best way?

7. Frequency of pump repairs.

8. Setting of tubing perforations in relation to the casing perforations.

9. Flow line backpressure against the formation.

10. Should the type of mechanical lift be changed?

11. How long has it been since the last productivity test?

12. Pumping unit strokes per minute.

13. Pumping unit stroke length.

14. Causes for down times.

15. Changes in production profiles.

At your company, where (or with whom) does this information reside?

Is it in some file cabinet in the backroom (you know, the one with no windows and fluorescent light flickering?)

Lost in the confines of an Excel datasheet buried deep within our computer’s system files?

Maybe you or your foreman are carrying it around in your heads? …  even worse, maybe this valuable info resides in the mind of someone on your staff who is quickly approaching retirement?

The executive who works at making strengths productive—his own as well as those of others—works at making organizational performance compatible with personal achievement. He works at making his knowledge area become an organizational opportunity. However, when an engineer or operations manager is bogged down by the daily minutiae of the oil field, he’s not able to focus on getting the right things done and making effective decisions.

We believe that enabling well tenders is the most effective (and brushed aside) method of enhancing lease production. You will continue to pay your well tender $X of dollars per month per lease. However, whether you choose to leverage that Pumper’s time is up to you.

One of the greatest impacts GreaseBook can have on your company is the dissemination of information. GreaseBook has developed a way to alleviate the dissemination of information throughout your company — not personally, but systematically.

How can GreaseBook increase production? Although the app can’t make production decisions for your Pumper, GreaseBook can force your Pumper to morph from field-hand into proactive decision-maker.

How?

By reviewing the history of a well garnered from his past commentary, executive notes, and the remarks of any other pumper with whom he shares the responsibility of the lease (all info is synced between your pumpers’ and management iPads on the cloud), the pumper will have a referenceable well history file when diagnosing the symptoms of any well.

Not only does GreaseBook keep these records for your well tenders, but these notes are also accompanied by a heads-up display of historical oil, water, and gas production graphs for every lease. Every time a pumper enters a measurement for the day, GreaseBook serves a historical production chart from which to compare the day’s flow against historical production. When production information is displayed in graph form, potential problems that may not have been identified on paper become very easy to recognize — and ultimately to fix.

Well tenders increase production with GreaseBook App – click picture to go to GreaseBook’s homepage…

By ridding your office of field-related admin duties, you breed organizational opportunity. Pushing this responsibility out of the office and into the field not only frees up time that would otherwise be devoted to administration, but when displayed correctly, this information becomes a powerful resource from which your well tenders can act upon.

When you give your tenders the right kind of information, you enable them to become proactive decision makers. And, proactive pumpers are a huge step toward enabling owners, engineers, and operations managers to break free from the daily minutiae of operations.

Hey Well Tenders!

What if we told you landing new wells as a well tender was a snap?

What if you could pick and choose your wells at will, letting go of wells that were off the beaten path in favor of those that were closer to home?

Well, as of now, it’s not a dream anymore.

Introducing the GreaseBook ‘Pumper Mesh’ – a directory for gaugers, pumpers, lease operators, well tenders and the like – designed to introduce YOU to companies operating in the counties in which you pump.

Hang your shingle out. Get introduced to Oil and Gas Operating Companies. Get your shot at more well tending jobs. All through the Pumper Directory. All at no charge to you.

Why do this for the well tenders?

It’s just our way of saying “thanks” for being out on the front line of oil & gas.

To check out the ‘Pumper Mesh’ click here.

A recent article in The Oil & Gas Financial Journal touched on the increases in operating costs for oil & gas producers.

While you’re (painfully) aware of these increasing costs, the article highlighted something you may not be a familiar with: a method to counter these increasing costs.

What did the Oil & Gas Financial Journal recommend?

Not “Oilfield Software”, but mobile communication.

That’s right folks, iPads & iPhones.

But, what’s more intriguing was the “why?”

Here’s a small excerpt from the article:

“Software applications, long commoditized by consumer demand and increasingly prevalent in enterprise environments, are driving this revolution and are ready for application in the oil and gas industry today…

The oil and gas industry is built on engineering feats. Countless disciplines have been designed to enhance the exploration, production and transportation of oil … It is time the oil and gas industry applies this remarkable innovation that is embraced across the world by nearly every other industry, to the logistical and environmental obstacles it currently faces, changing the way oil and gas companies manage human assets by improving the way they communicate and collaborate.

Software is the answer to seamlessly bridging old with new and packing the industry with new performance and business opportunities.”

Now, ask yourself, how much time does your Operations Manager devote to putting out fires each week?

What if your gauge sheets and Excel production reports from your Pumpers were autopopulated and arrived in real-time?

What if production trends and abnormal events were already highlighted for you?

What if your army of pumpers were outfitted in such a way that they were made aware of any decline in production while they are submitting their oil, gas, and water measurements?

Given the appropriate information, could your Pumpers and Gaugers proactively manage themselves with minimal intervention on behalf of you and your production supervisor?

Think about the time spent tying oil purchaser reports to run tickets to your accounting books. How long does this take your admin every month… Heck, are they even doing it?

What other tasks could you and your staff devote itself to if these things were simply “taken care of”?

GreaseBook understands your frustrations, and has developed a way to alleviate them — not personally, but systematically. Give GreaseBook 15 minutes, and we’ll save your admin 5 days a month AND we’ll give your Operations Manager the leverage, organization, and freedom he needs to maximize your company’s production.

Still not convinced? Did you know that COPAS accounting rules allow you to spread the cost of GreaseBook over the JIB? Friends, short of walking into your office and hitting you over the head with one of our iPads, we couldn’t make this any easier for you. And, remember:

•      No contracts to sign
•      No software to install
•      No training fees
•      Free help desk calls
•      Walk away at any time
•      110% Money Back Guarantee

Don’t be shy – pick up the phone and call us! 1-855-PUMP-OIL

Still not convinced? Click here to read all about the GreaseBook Oilfield Software =D

Just the other day, Dave (long-time oilfield operator and President of an Oklahoma-based production company) was talking to us about the young professionals he sees today in the industry.

Dave was recounting a particular story about a meeting he recently attended, where a young man in his late 20s who didn’t have more than 3 or 4 years of industry experience was presenting a new idea.

This young man was telling Dave and a group of seasoned oilmen how a new PDC drill bit was going to change the game. Basically, It was going to help them drill faster and cheaper than they every thought possible.

Great news, right?

Well, Dave told us that’s not how he felt. In fact, he told us he got pretty upset… even to the point that he had to excuse himself from the meeting.

Dave was pretty fired up, and said,

“All I could think about was how some kid was trying to tell me how I needed to change! He was telling me that there was a better way than the way I’d been doing it for 30 years!! What did this guy know, anyways?! Hell, I’d been doing this stuff before this kid was even born!!”

But Dave is a smart guy (and an even smarter businessman). He went on to tell us that,

“5 minutes after leaving the room, I realized how foolish it would be not to listen to what this young man had to say. You know why? Because if a guy can help me drill faster and cheaper, I want to be on the same bandwagon he’s on.”

Dave went on to tell us about a new game he believes is being played in the oil & gas industry. He said it’s hard to pin down exactly when it started, but he believes this shift is due to a new generation of industry professionals.

“Our industry has always been predominantly run by the guys that got their start in the 60s and 70s… but now you’re seeing a lot of new faces. But what’s most interesting is that these young people are bringing new ideas and new viewpoints that my generation has never even considered.”

The taming of the oil field is long overdue. The power, accuracy, and handling abilities of today’s smart phones and tablet computers offer the small independent producer an opportunity to realize greater efficiencies and time saving techniques in both the immediate and long-term.

Dave took one look at GreaseBook, an iPad app which would allow his pumpers to streamline the field data collection process by replacing his company’s 8-day gauge Excel-based spreadsheets, and immediately jumped on board.

GreaseBook is blazing a trail toward increased production and reduced downtime for the small independent operator (see: Well Tender iPad App: Empower Well Tenders and bring organizational results). When you’re ready to saddle-up and stake your claim, GreaseBook has the tools to make it possible.

We may be a young company, but this “bandwagon” is poised for the big win… and guess what? 

We want you on it.

Many, many operators have asked us to implement some sort of file repository into the GreaseBook app. What types of documents do these engineers, owners, and ops managers want to attach to their wells? Well completion reports, work over info, and any other well history document they may find helpful when out of their office, and away from their desktop.

We always tout how good we are at not only listening to our clients’ recommendations, but also quickly implementing these suggestions into the GreaseBook app. So, what did we do with this particular request? Nothing. Why? Because we only work in the best interests of our clients — let us explain:

The beauty of GreaseBook is that our users can intuitively understand 80-90% of the app’s functionality in about 2 minutes. No manual. No detailed instructions. No professional certification.

Simple is very, very hard — but if we can master it, we know the enthusiasm that oil & gas operators and their pumpers have displayed for the app will continue…

Enter Dropbox. What is Dropbox? Basically, Dropbox allows you to “drop” any file that sits on your desktop computer into a repository in the cloud, and share that file with your engineer, operations manager, or anyone else. The cloud stores this file, just like your desktop would, however it allows you to access it from your iPad, smartphone, or any other desktop in the world. Also, anytime you make a change to your file or document, the change is reflected across all your devices.

Oh yeah, lest we forget to mention: it’s free.

Check out this video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFb0NaeRmdg

Basically, Dropbox means no more planning ahead (ha!). You’ll always have your files, when and where you need them. Think about it… you can store:

• Assignments & contracts
• Sales receipts
• Geologic & engineering data
• Government forms (ex: tax forms, or mechanical integrity tests)
• Annual inspections

No more bringing paper well history files with you. No more emailing these files back and forth to yourself or your associates.

Now, in addition to the historical production data for every production asset that GreaseBook offers you, you’ll also have your well history documentation to boot.

Access to the data of any well, anytime, anyplace, all from your iPad… pretty cool, right? Our clients seem to think so!

*Note: to get started using Dropbox on your desktop and iPads, you’ll need to download the software… to download the Dropbox app for your iPad, all you need to do is go to the App Store. However, to sync those well history files from your computer to your iPad, you’ll need to download the software to your desktop first.

Check out this link, these guys do a great job at walking you through the 2 minute process:

http://jajodia-saket.sjbn.co/2011/02/how-to-setup-dropbox-on-your-computer/

Find my GreaseBook

If you or one of your Oil Pumpers lose an iPad, help is only a tap away.
Having the GreaseBook oiflield app means your Pumpers can take their iPad anywhere. Which means they might leave it anywhere. Whether it’s out in the field or under the seat of their truck, chances are it won’t be lost for long.

Locate your iPad on a map.

People misplace things all the time. Fortunately, if one of your Pumpers loses their iPad, Find My iPhone can help. Go to settings, tap iCloud, and enable Find My iPhone. Then if you or one of your Pumpers misplace their iPad, you can sign in to icloud.com from any computer web browser or use the Find my iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to display its approximate location on a map. It’s easy to activate this feature on your iPad. All it takes is a few easy steps.

Display a message or play a sound to help you find it.
Say you’ve just used Find My iPhone, and it turns out you left your iPhone at the local diner. You can write a message and display it on your screen. Something like, “Oops, left my iPad behind. Please call XYZ Operating Inc. at 405-555-0198.” Your message appears, even if the screen is locked. And if the map shows that your iPad is nearby — perhaps in your office under a pile of papers — yet you still can’t find it, you can tell Find My iPhone to play a sound that overrides the volume or silent setting.

Set a passcode lock remotely.

If you realize that you left your iPad in a public place, you may want to protect its contents until it’s safely back in your hands. Remotely set a four-digit passcode lock to prevent people from using your iPad, accessing your personal information, or tampering with your settings.

Protect your privacy with Remote Wipe.
Addresses, phone numbers, email, photos, and GreaseBook data. Your iPad contains important company information — information you probably don’t want in the hands of a stranger. So if you lose your iPad and displaying a message on it hasn’t resulted in its safe return, you can initiate a remote wipe to restore it to its factory settings. When you eventually find your iPhone, you can restore the data using your most recent backup from iCloud or iTunes.

Find My iPhone app.
Because the unexpected happens in the most unexpected places, the Find My iPhone app can help you locate your missing iPad even when you don’t have access to a computer. It’s free on the App Store and available to anyone. So if you or a Pumper misplaces the device, download the Find My iPhone app on another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and sign in to find your iPad.

In the second installment on great free Oil Software to increase our production, we’d like to introduce the iMessage app.

(side note: If you missed it, be sure to go back and read the first installment of our exposé on Oil Software: How to run your army of pumpers like a well-oiled machine (Part 1 of 2))

Why is this app so well suited for the oil & gas operator?

Folks, a picture from the oil field really is worth a thousand words. For example, we know a lot of operators with some serious “hands-on” experience in the field… many owners and foremen grew up pumping wells in their teens and twenties, and now own or manage very successful production companies.

And, from what these pumpers-turned-owners have told us, there is a BIG difference between a “pumper” and a “gauger”. (yeah, we were confused too… continue reading…)

Basically, a “gauger” is someone who goes out and measures oil, gas, and water production at the lease and reports back to HQ if anything has gone awry in the field.

So how is a “pumper” any different? 

“Pumpers” are very handy. Essentially, they’re true mechanics. If a pumper finds something wrong in the field, he’s going to try and fix it.

So how does any of this tie into iMessages and photos between gaugers and HQ?

By taking photos of problems in the field, operating companies that employ gaugers (not pumpers) save thousands of dollars every year by avoiding “service calls”. Through messaged pictures and video taking place over the iPad, a foreman or engineer can visually engage with his assets without ever leaving his office (… or truck … or duck blind … or pool-side chair).

This is just the tip of the iceberg friends. Here’s some copy we swiped from the Apple website, with a sprinkling of GreaseBook thrown in for good measure…

Messages

Introducing iMessage.
Exchange words. Or photos.
iMessage lets you send messages back and forth with your Pumpers. Send a message to check in. Make sure everyone is aware of a new rule or directive. Heck, your Pumpers can even send you photos. It’s unlimited. So text all you want.

Text one. Text all.

Send a message to one Pumper or to many Pumpers at once — along with photos or links you think are important. When someone replies, everyone sees it. With iMessage, as soon as your message appears on a Pumper’s iPad, you’ll get a delivery receipt letting you know it went through. You can enable read receipts for a visual “copy that.” And see when someone is in the middle of typing out a reply. iMessages are securely encrypted, so everything remains between company walls.

Wanna know how to set it up? We thought you did. Click here and get crackin’ immediately…

Have you come across another great app for the oilfield? Post it in the comments below!!

‘Til next time,

– GreaseBook

Pump smart, or manage tough. Are you aware that there is a lot of oil software (read: free apps) on the iPad and iPhone that are engineered as perfect complements to the oil & gas operator’s business?

Each one of these apps takes about 10 minutes to set-up, and have the potential to yield days in productivity increases from your operations manager and pumpers every year…

For example, Pumpers generally have a “task list” of things they need to do on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis to keep your leases running in top form. A popular question many oil & gas operators ask us is whether GreaseBook accounts for these “to-dos”…

Now, we could charge our clients a premium for building this feature into our daily oil & gas reporting application…

However, why would we do that when some of the best developers in the world (ie programmers at Apple, Inc.) have already built this for us?

By forming pumper message groups in Apple’s “Reminder” application (which comes standard on every iPad and iPhone), oil & gas operators have a very low cost (read: free), extremely efficient way of delivering daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists (ex: drop soap sticks, pump maintenance, chemical schedules, gas chart calibration, etc).

Reminders 

The best way to do to-dos. Organize your operations and Pumpers in to-do lists. Or to-fix lists. Or to-inspect lists. Reminders on iPad helps your company remember everything you have to do. And makes sure you get it all done.

To-dos that do a lot.
No matter what your Pumpers have going on, here’s an easy way for them to remember it all. Organize everything they have to do by deadline, priority, location, or custom-made lists. And as a due date gets closer, Reminders sends each Pumper an alert so he stays on track.

Make one list, and share it with all your Pumpers.
Sharing a Reminders list is a streamlined process that is sure to come in handy for both you and your Pumpers. To start, you will need to log in to your iCloud account from your computer by visiting iCloud.com (http://icloud.com/) and navigate to your calendar. Follow the rest of the steps below to begin sharing a Reminders list.

For those of you that do have an iPad and wanna get started, we’ve got you covered. Click here, we’ll show you how to set it up.

By keeping the GreaseBook app simple, we avoid “feature creep” and continue to provide a easy-to-learn app.

Look, if you don’t have an iPad or an iPhone, GreaseBook wants to let you know that (1) we think you’re working too hard, and (2) we’re looking out for the best interests of our clients (it doesn’t get any better than free, folks!)

Know of any other good oil-field related apps? Post them the comments below!