Stewart & Stevenson
In operation since 1902, Stewart & Stevenson’s tenure serving the oil and gas industry, as well as a range of other markets, is a strong demonstration that it understands what is important for succeeding in this business. According to Vice President of Sales Dennis Weisgerber, Stewart & Stevenson remains a key partner in its clients’ operations by always “taking care of our customers.” That is the company’s “first and foremost goal,” and one that does not waver.
“We are someone they can rely on to service their equipment and respond with a sense of urgency,” he stresses. “What is apparent here is our people demonstrate the attitude that taking care of customers is key, and combined with that we have the tooling available and possess the financial strength to support our customers’ needs.”
Headquartered in Houston and operating from a network of 53 strategic locations worldwide, Stewart & Stevenson is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of specialized equipment and a leading provider of aftermarket parts and service to the oil and gas and other industries. Not only does Stewart & Stevenson manufacture its own line of products, it also is an OEM distributor for many well-known companies such as MTU, Allison Transmission, Deutz Engines, Electro Motive Diesel and Hyster.
“Through both our manufacturing and distribution businesses, we service many industries,” Weisgerber explains. “These include oil and gas, mining, construction and industrial, agriculture, marine, standby power generation, material handling and the transportation markets of highway and rail.”
Ongoing Innovation
To ensure it consistently meets customers’ needs, Stewart & Stevenson constantly asks customers for feedback regarding its products. The company strives to meet customers’ needs as they evolve, and improve its product offering through innovation, Weisgerber says.
“We streamline our manufacturing operations at every opportunity because we want our quality and costs to be consistent,” he says. “With strong operations, we are better able to innovate for customers. For example, we have 3-D engineering capabilities for highly engineered products and full drawings for all the products we manufacture.”
For MTU, for example, Stewart & Stevenson developed a Tier 4 interim engine for well-stimulation equipment that is compliant with current emissions regulations. “Right now, no one else has a product like this,” Weisgerber says. The company also is working with Allison to develop a 2,500-horsepower transmission for fragmenting applications in well-stimulation equipment.
“Customers are outsourcing more so they can focus on their key competencies,” he says. “We help them by doing their project management. With our expertise, we can help them ensure their equipment runs longer and is more reliable, which helps their costs and efficiency in the field.”
More than a Century of Support
An integral part of Stewart & Stevenson’s aftermarket support is the training it provides. The company invites clients to its training centers in Houston, Colorado, Columbia and Venezuela, or its certified trainers are available to travel worldwide to clients’ locations. It offers training on oilfield equipment systems, as well as instruction for Allison, EMD, Detroit Diesel, Deutz, Hyster, MBE and MTU lines.
“We constantly update and expand our training to reflect clients’ needs,” Weisgerber says. “Emissions regulations change constantly, so customers need to be aware of those, and they need to know how to operate the latest technologies.”
Stewart & Stevenson’s aftermarket support extends to the equipment the company manufactures as well as every product it sells. It has more than 750 certified service technicians on staff and an equal number of parts personnel.
“The need to maintain all products is great because they are exceedingly complex and in need of modern tooling,” Weisgerber says. “Our mechanics are amazingly skilled – they truly are technicians of the highest caliber.”
It is this comprehensive level of support, he says, that furthers Stewart & Stevenson’s history and solidifies its presence as a market leader.
“The true evidence of our commitment to our customers is the longstanding nature of this company,” he says. “We have 109 years of taking care of our customers and providing them with state-of-the-art equipment.”