Schramm Inc. taps into power, safety and efficiency to optimize the drilling process with its line of automated rigs.
Back in the 1950s, drilling with air was a new concept and Schramm Inc. was an early adopter. During the first half of the century, West Chester, Pa.-based Schramm had manufactured air compressors. “Always a company to leverage technology into innovative products, we put our air compressors on the back of shop-built drilling rigs and shifted our focus to producing small, mobile, fast drilling rigs that were known for their versatility and efficiency,” says Frank Gabriel, vice president of sales.
“Today, Schramm produces drilling rigs that are highly automated, safer to operate, have less environmental impact, require less manpower and are more productive than ever.”
Having manufactured more than 3,000 mobile drilling rigs, Schramm serves the water well, geothermal, mineral exploration and oil and gas markets. Customers range in size from the world’s largest exploration drilling contractors with over 500 rigs in their fleets, to the opposite end of the spectrum where an owner operator may run a single rig.
Schramm is focused on the oil and gas industry, especially unconventional resource plays. “As demand and prices continued to rise, people became more energy conscious and the need for cleaner or renewable energy jumped to the forefront,” Gabriel says. “Efficiency, cost containment and the desire to be greener have all come together to drive natural gas drilling productivity.”
Maximizing Productivity
Launched in 2002, Schramm Telemast® rigs are one of the company’s most innovative product lines to date, with more than 125 units in operation throughout the world.
Schramm Telemast-equipped rigs are short and compact for over-the-road and off-road transport, but perform like big, conventional rigs on site.
“With fast setup, long top head travel and the flexibility to add a slant hole mast, hydraulic roughneck and power slips, Telemast rigs fill the gap between small mobile rigs and larger conventional rigs by offering a safe, high-quality, less-expensive, more-efficient package for harvesting energy resources,” Gabriel says.
“By adding our LoadSafe® automated pipe handling system, customers see productivity and job-site safety improve even more.”
LoadSafe Pipe-Handling Powerhouse
The Schramm LoadSafe is a hands-free operation. The “pipe-handling powerhouse” is designed to safely lift tubulars from a horizontal position via a hydraulic catwalk and breakout-jaw system that clamps the pipes and aligns them with the tilting top head.
An auto index device feeds one pipe at a time, and adjustable hydraulic racks allow loading from either side of the rig. Up to 40 pieces of pipe can be staged on the LoadSafe hydraulic racks.
The T130XD, T200XD and TXD Telemast rigs are particularly well-suited for unconventional resource drilling activities, such as coal bed methane, tight gas and shale gas to a depth of 10,000 feet.
Greater drilling depths will be reached with a larger Telemast-equipped rig, which will be introduced in 2011.
“There is a lot of room for improvement in the drilling industry in terms of safety,” Schramm CEO Ed Breiner says. “With LoadSafe, the effort is aligned with getting the manpower out of harm’s way when handling the tooling.”
Unconventional Drilling
According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), “The most significant trend in U.S. natural gas production is the rapid rise in production from shale formations. In large measure this is attributable to significant advances in the use of horizontal drilling and well stimulation technologies, and refinement in the cost-effectiveness of these technologies.”
Shale is a relatively shallow environment, Gabriel explains. “Crews drill horizontally into the seams for maximum contact with the rock formation,” he notes. “This requires greater pull-down force and precise control of the force on the drill bit, a feature of Schramm’s hydraulic rigs.”
“The Barnett shale in north-central Texas, the Appalachian Basin’s Marcellus shale and a half-dozen other locations are the gas plays of today’s world,” Gabriel continues. “Schramm’s innovative, hydraulically operated rigs dovetail right into the move to unconventional resource plays. Compact rigs just make sense.
“A comparatively low investment can unlock gas from a formation, resulting in more natural gas than you can imagine. That’s where U.S. drilling is these days.” “A consequence of the prolific shale plays in the United States is that the industry is challenged to create more demand for natural gas to be used in power plants and transportation, for example,” Breiner notes. “Natural gas has half the carbon footprint of coal and is attractive from that point of view.”
Another source of gas comes from the coal mining regions of the country. Gabriel says, “Companies are chasing coal bed methane gas by drilling into and following the coal seams, which can require a significantly lower investment compared with other methods to extract energy.”
From Design to Delivery
A longtime member of several industry groups, including the International Association of Drilling Contractors, Schramm takes an active role in shaping the drilling industry’s future, as well as raising its own internal standards. “We have a corporate goal to be an API-certified Q1 operation by the end of 2010, which requires quite a commitment on our part,” Gabriel states.
“API certification is a quality management system that addresses the ISO requirements, as well as the management of a technical product,” Breiner adds. “In my view, it takes some of the attributes of the CE mark and ISO 9001 process and creates a quality management system that addresses the process from design through manufacture.
“API is a more thorough quality management system than ISO 9001.” Strong emphasis is placed on work flow optimization, process integrity and inventory management. Innovation is encouraged.
In fact, Schramm is committed to introducing one significant new product every year, and new products account for approximately 35 percent of the company’s total annual revenues.
Manufacturing for U.S. drillers and exporting to more than 80 different countries worldwide, Schramm’s 27-acre campus – with approximately 293,000 square feet under roof – houses management and administrative offices, as well as the main plant manned by machinists, welders, fabricators, assemblers and engineers. Computer-aided 3-D design, integrated cutting and machining equipment coupled with quality control and thorough testing ensure a high-performance, reliable product.
“One of the reasons we have been around so long, is that we remain focused on designing and manufacturing the most innovative, efficient and reliable drilling equipment on the market,” Gabriel says. “Additionally, our products are serviced with standard off-the-shelf parts and backed by both in-house and factory-authorized and trained service technicians.”
The company has 15 authorized dealers handling sales, parts and service in the United States and a strong presence in the high-growth markets of Canada, Australia, Asia, South America, Russia and South Africa. Schramm is one of the largest suppliers of imported drilling rigs to China.
With every delivery, Schramm start-up technicians are there to make sure each rig is installed properly. “We have learned that to be in this business, you need to support your products,” Gabriel says. “We understand that as a company.”
The company offers in-house training sessions and service seminars that focus on key topics, such as safe operation, improved drilling productivity, reducing the cost of maintenance and troubleshooting to minimize downtime.
“We frequently take these workshops on the road for a customer’s special event or in conjunction with one of the more than 60 trade shows we participate in annually,” Gabriel notes.
Proven Experience
A good mix of veterans and new people coming onboard provides Schramm with proven industry experience and fresh ideas.
Training and keeping pertinent skill sets up to date are vital to success. “About 10 years ago, we implemented a rigorous training and development program created by a well-known consulting firm,” Gabriel explains, “with the aim of developing the next generation of Schramm executives, middle managers and other prospective leaders.
“The course is focused on advanced skills that enhance not only leadership, but interpersonal abilities, business and personal growth.”
Community Commitment
Schramm’s company culture also emphasizes a commitment to the community it has been part of for more than a century. The company supports local West Chester events and regional charitable efforts, including the United Way.
The company was honored by the Chester County Economic Development Council of Pennsylvania for growth in export sales in 2007. Inc. magazine’s celebrated Inc. 5,000 list recognized Schramm Inc. as one of the country’s fastest-growing private companies in 2008.
This year, Schramm was designated member company of the year by the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia.
“At Schramm,” Breiner says, “we have passionate, dedicated people that travel the world supporting our customers and representing our company well.”
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
