Lean Six Sigma Can Help Save Oil Field Jobs

This important post affects thousands of men and women working in the oilfield industry. In days past, I’ve read articles (way too many) as key indicators in the field I work in. Lower gas prices mean lower demand and to balance this imbalance, supply is reduced. The Saudi’s and OPEC have done so with the effect of bringing prices up which we’d all complain and point fingers of blame. Now China's economy's tanking that further drives more instability in the world trade market. Regardless, production becomes less of a priority especially when drilling new horizontal fracked wells cost about $60 per barrel.

Oilfield Companies: Don't Forget to Negotiate


The time to negotiate for lower prices is now. Companies are laying off, liquidating assets, and dipping into their cash reserves. The renewed task of sending RFPs or RFQ’s will require suppliers and vendors to respond favorably or lose business to those that do.

Lean Enterprise Case Study: Four Stones Machine Shop

By Dominador "Sensei Domi" Tomate

MY FIRST VISIT


            “How in the heck did you make money?  Look at this place?”
            Daryl replied, “What’s wrong with it?”
            “It’s a freaking mess?  You didn’t start this business, did you?”
            “What do you mean?”
            “Easy question.”
            Long pause.  I stared him in the eye and Daryl relented. “I had a partner.  We ran the business together, and he kind of.”
            “Yeah?  What happened?”
            “…died six months ago.”
            “Jesus.  How long did you work together?”
            “About 20 years.”
            Didn’t take long for me to process this.  I knew Daryl in college and from what I remembered, he wasn’t good with details.  He had tremendous talents, a very smart man with creative ideas and, at the time, a pretty good martial artists; but, that was many years ago, and he had problems that I wasn’t sure I had the moxie to handle.  He asked for my help, and I could, like they say, give it my best.

Knowledge Is Power (Click Picture)


Need for Balance (Click Picture)

 Mind Body Balance

Lean In the Oil Fields

Lean Manufacturing 2007 Article reprint by Ric Van Der Linden

We have all heard stories about the great results possible when lean techniques and culture are applied to manufacturing and assembly.  Though we hear less about lean in the service industry, lean concepts are being successfully applied there, and results are showing.  The oil fields are one area that has taken on lean as an initiative to not only deliver improvements, but to develop a culture of continuous improvement.

Sink or Swim


To “reflect” is “to think, ponder, or meditate a fixing on thoughts with careful consideration.” So far we’ve learned certain concepts, examined both relevant and irrelevant anecdotal examples. With reflection, we ask: “why” for the sake of asking “WHY?” Children ask all the time: Why?” It is perhaps the most fundamental and essential of question of all. Like life itself “WHY?” has to do with its essence: “WHY?” is deep, philosophical, profound, simple, all a bit out of the ordinary. If one question leads to another, the second one will take us to a journey, an experience. There is this thing called “Life” that is both an experience and a journey. What else do we need to know about “journey” and “experience?” It’s days, one after the other that represents a journey, each and every one adding a life’s experience. There are good days and bad, and some barely all that a person can do is just to be able to deal. Despite the aches, pains, trials and tribulations, we manage to persevere, get through the day albeit frustrated, exhausted or drained. As we live and breathe, our lives have purpose and meaning, gauged by accomplishments or lack thereof. They follow a course, path or life road map, planned or unplanned. For those journeying down the path of deliberateness, life is methodical, with direction and predestination, and along the haphazard or prescribed course we call life, and there are tasks that we take charge.