Summit Casing Equipment

When you’re a jack-of-all-trades, as the saying goes, you’re a master of none. In the highly competitive world of the oil and gas industry, being anything less than the best at what you do is a recipe for disaster – especially when it comes to manufacturing the parts and equipment used in the field. Without total concentration on doing the best work possible, a manufacturer won’t last long.

Summit Casing Equipment of Fort Worth, Texas, doesn’t have that problem. CFO Andy Eldridge says the company has distinguished itself in a relatively short time by concentrating on one specific area and continually honing its skills and developing better products. With oil and gas development booming in regions such as the Eagle Ford, Marcellus and Utica formations, Eldridge believes Summit Casing Equipment has taken advantage of its strengths to become a trusted name to many of the biggest players in the industry.

Eldridge founded the company with co-owner and COO Mitchel Hansen in 2004, after they had spent several years working for Halliburton in sales and business development. Eldridge says their “entrepreneurial streak” inspired them to leave Halliburton and strike out on their own. They were joined later by co-owner and Field Operations Manager Matt Einck. Originally, the company was based in Oklahoma and concentrated on selling drill bits, Eldridge’s previous area of expertise at Halliburton.

However, the company soon started offering casing equipment to supplement its drill bit sales, and the owners realized there were greater opportunities in that sector of the business. In a short period of time, the company found itself receiving more orders for casing equipment. “It just took off,” Eldridge says.

Broad-Based
Today, Summit Casing Equipment has locations throughout the United States serving a wide range of customers. Not only does the company serve oil and gas companies in south Texas, but also in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Oklahoma. The company’s customer base is diverse and extensive. “We’re completely across the board, from smaller operators to the largest in the world,” Eldridge says.

And those customers work in some of the most active and growing oil and gas plays in North America. According to the company, its products and services can be found in areas including the Anadarko Basin, the Barnett Shale, the Eagle Ford Shale, the Marcellus Shale and the Utica Shale.

Sole Focus
Summit Casing Equipment has grown a lot in the short time it has been in business, and that can be attributed to the company’s laser-like focus on its core competencies. Unlike many of its competitors, Summit Casing Equipment can assure its customers that there is nothing to divert its attention from providing them with the highest-quality casing equipment.

“Summit Casing Equipment is not a supply house where casing equipment is one of many items that we offer,” Eldridge explains. “We’re in the casing equipment business – it’s our only focus. This allows us to concentrate on the exact casing equipment need [the customer’s] situation demands.”

Productive Products
The products and services provided by Summit Casing Equipment help its customers make life easier in the field, and feature some of the industry’s most advanced technology. “Summit proudly manufactures our own lines of solid-body centralizers and accessories,” Eldridge says. “This capability, combined with strong supplier relationships with major manufacturers, allows us to supply [customers] with a wide range of parts to meet [their] operational needs.”

Although the company does a significant portion of its manufacturing in-house, Summit Casing Equipment also relies on the cooperation of several major manufacturers. By collaborating closely with these vendors, Summit Casing Equipment is able to ensure that its products meet the needs of its customers. “It’s good, quality stuff,” Eldridge says.

For example, the company’s new TorqGlider Composite Centralizer provides customers with peace of mind thanks to its unique design. The TorqGlider’s state-of-the-art composite construction features a low co-efficient of friction, the company explains, allowing the casing to reach total depth faster and more efficiently than other centralizers. The company adds that the composite construction of the TorqGlider gives it greater durability than plastic centralizers because there are none of the weak spots found in molded and injected units. “The TorqGlider is one solid piece of ultra-hard and extremely durable composite that’s heat-resistant to maintain integrity in extreme well bore temperatures,” the company says.

Eldridge says the development of composite materials has become big business for Summit Casing Equipment. The industry is starting to move away from steel in favor of other materials that could potentially reduce torque and drag while running casing down a hole. “That’s why we came up with our composite centralizer,” Eldridge says.

In addition to the TorqGlider, Summit Casing Equipment also offers a full line of solid-body centralizers that can be customized to practically any specifications. Summit Casing Equipment also supplies bow spring centralizers in single-bow, double-bow, welded and non-welded configurations. The company’s float equipment includes drillable float shoes, reamer shoes and float collars in various sizes, casing grades, weights and valve configurations. Along with these parts, Summit Casing Equipment also provides stage tools, port collars, plugs and other accessories.

One growing area of business is the offering of proprietary threads from different manufacturers. many manufacturers have developed their own specialized threads for casing, and customers have responded by seeking out the specific threads for their needs. “Everyone has come up with their own proprietary thread, and that’s come along from people wanting to rotate casing as they run pipe into the hole,” Eldridge says.

Technical Support
Not only does Summit Casing Equipment supply its customers with the casing products they need, it also provides them with software that can help them make the most of them. The company provides access to two platforms: CentraDesign and TADPRO.

“These well operation technology systems provide optimum schematics for centralizer placing with torque and drag readings,” the company says. “By utilizing these systems, Summit Casing Equipment can pinpoint and personalize each drill site for maximum effectiveness and performance. What’s more, this service is offered free of charge and without obligation to every Summit Casing Equipment customer.”

Focus on Safety
Naturally, none of Summit Casing Equipment’s efforts would be worthwhile if the company didn’t engage in safe practices. With that in mind, the company says it works to hold itself to the highest standards of safety in everything that it does. “Summit Casing Equipment’s goal is to ensure our policies and activities protect and promote the health and safety of our customers, our employees and the environment,” the company says. “To achieve this, all our team members are committed to complying with all applicable safety and environmental regulations and standards during all activities and operations.”

The company says it expects all employees at every level of its operations to keep safety at the forefront of what they do. “The overall success of the safety and environmental program depends upon the conscientious and collaborative efforts of management, supervisors and employees,” the company says. “Management and supervisors are expected to demonstrate leadership through displaying proper attitudes and providing the necessary resources and supervision to conduct activities safely and to help ensure environmental compliance.”

Steady Success
With the company’s commitment to safety, innovative designs and quality partnerships, Summit Casing Equipment appears to be poised to continue taking advantage of the growth in the North American oil and gas sector. The company expects sustained growth for in the years to come, as well as the continued development of new casing products.

One thing that won’t change, however, is the company’s belief that serving its customers is the most important goal it has. As long as Summit Casing Equipment can continue to build its customer base while satisfying its existing customers, it will be on the right track.

“If we can assure we deliver the correct equipment in a timely manner and make some relationships along the way, we will continue on this path of success,” Eldridge says. EMI