SageRider Inc.’s Journey to Becoming a Leader in Well Monitoring Technology.
The one thing all wells have in common is that they are deep and complex environments, which makes knowing exactly what’s going on inside of them very difficult. SageRider Inc. has made a name for itself over the last few years by providing oil and gas operators with technology that allows them to view much of what goes on in their wells, and Director of Sales and Marketing Luke Rollins says the company continues to add capabilities and customers throughout the most active shale plays in North America and abroad.
The company was founded in 2008 to address what Rollins says was a need for strong real-time information in downhole monitoring. Utilizing similar technology found in overseas and offshore completion operations, SageRider offers its customers unique, customized solutions to their well monitoring needs.
Rollins says that because the company’s technology is so flexible, SageRider’s customer base ranges from small operators to the large independents and super-majors. “Our customer base is quite varied,” Rollins says. “We’re currently covering all the emerging unconventional plays in the lower 48.”
With the company’s recent acquisition of EXiiUS, a fiber-optic technology company SageRider started as a joint venture, the company stands ready to make the most of the opportunities available to it in North America’s shale plays. As Rollins explains, the company’s strong position as an innovator gives it a good platform to build its future success.
Multiple Solutions
SageRider specializes in technical solutions for the oil and gas industry. These solutions include subsurface surveillance technology as well as explosive-based perforating systems. SageRider’s SageWatch monitoring system provides continuous real-time pressure and temperature data along multiple points in a wellbore. The SageWatch system can be installed on the outside of the wellbore casing to monitor reservoir activity alone, or can be installed inside the wellbore to monitor individual sections.
The company’s explosive product line includes the Easy Rider Toe Gun System, which allows operators to eliminate the expense of coiled tubing perforating, and the SageRider Tubing Conveyed Perforating Systems, which can be configured to accommodate almost any wellbore plan.
No matter what the application, Rollins says SageRider works closely with customers to develop the right system for their needs. “We provide a full project management approach to deploying one of these systems,” he says, noting that the company’s relatively small size means it can give customers its full attention. “Because we are a small service provider, we are able to prevent the operator from running into some of the pitfalls.”
At every step along the way, SageRider is an active participant in helping customers utilize the technology. “We take a very active role from the point where they’ve decided they want to deploy one of these systems to the point where they’re getting the data to their office,” Rollins says.
Getting Bigger
SageRider has experienced significant growth over the last few years, and Rollins says that has created some challenges along with the opportunities. “It’s always getting the right personnel,” he says. “We’re growing as a company and it’s a challenge to find the right people.”
He says an additional challenge for SageRider is making sure the system is compatible with the products supplied by other service providers. Rollins says its technology includes power cables and fiber optics that are not only exposed to the harsh conditions in the well, but also could be damaged by fracking or other wellbore activity if not properly integrated and deployed.
Added Strength
The most recent development for SageRider has been its acquisition of EXiiUS, Rollins says. SageRider partnered with a fiber-optics company to develop EXiiUS to provide it with fiber-optic technology that supplements its pressure-sensitive sensor technology. Rollins says acquiring the full share of EXiiUS gives SageRider added capabilities and better value for its customers.
“It just makes perfect sense because fiber optics go hand-in-hand with our downhole quartz pressure sensors,” Rollins says. Fiber optics allow wellbore operators to measure temperatures and acoustics reliably because they don’t require equipment to be sent down the well where it can be disrupted by vibrations or temperature, the company says.
Rollins says SageRider expects the demand for its services to continue to grow in the near future. “I think the demand is going to continue to increase for smarter wellbores,” he says. “We actually have sensors down-hole where all the action is taking place.”
Not many competitors can provide the same kind of service, Rollins says, and as long as SageRider continues to focus on what it does best it should remain in its position. “From our perspective, we have grown from a small bootstrap start-up to an industry leader,” he says.