“Mactech is one of our great suppliers and I love the fire in them.” — Tyler Bond, Global Services Manager, NNW Oil In late 2018, NNW Oil, a wellhead service technician provider trusted by energy sector leaders like Shell and BP, had a high-stakes oil rig decommissioning job in the Gulf of Mexico. The next phase of work relied on Mactech’s diamond wire saws. NNW oil was slated to start by the end of the year, but Global Operations Manager Tyler Bond had his doubts. “Usually in the oil field, nothing ever moves up on a timeframe. It’s always pushed back. So two days before Christmas, we were thinking it would be after the first of the year.” The predicted downtime seemed perfect because it gave him a week between Christmas and New Year's to train their wellhead service technician crew on the diamond wire saws. And that window of time didn’t just make pacing easy for the company. It also gave Tyler a much-needed break to spend the holidays with his family. But two days before Christmas, Tyler’s daily rig report showed a schedule change that made his stomach sink. “They were like, ‘Hey, we’re going to be shipping out tomorrow morning at 5:30.’ It really put us in a bind. That was a big project we’d been on for a year, and this step was part of our bid process to cover the work.” Backing out wasn’t an option. But neither was shipping out a crew to work equipment they’d never trained on. “It was a moment of panic, truly. I texted my COO: ‘We’re in a bind. They just moved up the job.’ And he’s like, ‘What’s your plan?’” Tyler knew exactly what to do. Call Al at Mactech. Last-minute equipment training on Christmas Eve? Sure! Scheduling curveballs are typical in the oil and gas industry. But that doesn’t mean they’re fun or easy. And to make matters worse, Tyler’s family wasn’t exactly pleased with this last-minute news either — but more on that later. Mactech has provided offshore cutting solutions to folks like Tyler for over 30 years. It’s our bread and butter. That’s why when Tyler’s name popped up on Al’s cellphone, he didn’t get sent to voicemail. “From the level of service we get from Al, I felt like I called him with the confidence that he would take care of it.” They’d already worked together for a few years, ever since Tyler’s company had purchased our industrial drills, specifically the mag and dual pin. And over that time, they’d become so friendly that Tyler was literally on a first-name basis with Al. And as soon as Tyler explained the schedule, Al offered a plan: Get your guys to our nearest location, and we’ll get you set up. Free of charge. “It was a big deal that Mactech came in on Christmas Eve. They had a lot of opportunity to turn us down for that training. But we had a job and we needed to get it done, and we needed to be trained on it, and they accommodated us. And that says a lot for me.” — Tyler Bond, Global Services Manager, NNW Oil That day, Tyler and his team rushed to Broussard, Louisiana for free on-site training. On a Saturday. On Christmas Eve. And from the moment they set foot on our facility, he knew he’d made the right call. “They're renowned for being clean, organized, everything in order. That's how it was. Everything's in place, everything's clean. There's not trash on the floor, there's not a bunch of stuff on the tables, there isn't a pile of equipment here, a pile of equipment there. Everything's placed exactly where it needs to be and organized.” Without another minute to waste, they got to work. Complimentary, on-demand equipment training On arrival, the Mactech team briefed everyone on what to expect from the day. Training would last approximately four hours. They’d start with a job safety analysis, tour the equipment, rig them for work and perform supervised cuts. And that’s exactly what happened. “It didn't surprise me, but it showed the efficiency of Mactech through the training. Even though we knew that they were good at what they did, once we saw how it was, it just proved the theory that they provide a superior product.” After the training, both teams worked together to clean up and pack the diamond wire saws for shipment to their job site. And even though it was Christmas Eve, they all went out for pizza afterward. The next day, the NNW team deployed exactly on time. And Tyler? He made it home for the family Christmas Eve party — and he was still home on Christmas morning. Schedule training for your team today. How proper training prevents equipment and personnel failure We send out every machine with a fully equipped spares kit and easy-to-navigate user and maintenance manuals. But that wasn’t enough for Tyler — and rightfully so. It’s his job to keep his crew safe and to enable their success. “You never know how bad the result can be when you're unprepared. What could have happened? We could have rigged the saws wrong. Environmental, if we rigged the hydraulic hoses wrong or disconnected the wrong hydraulic hose, that could spray oil everywhere. Anything could have gone wrong.” Plus, meeting the client with a “winging-it-on-the-job” mentality would’ve been clumsy, risky and unprofessional. It’s just bad business. Moving forward with an inexperienced crew risks: Occupational safety hazard — Diamond wire saws are big pieces of equipment. And used incorrectly, they can cause serious bodily harm. Costly downtime for the client — Inexperience can cause delays as crews fumble with unfamiliar equipment. And these jobs, downtime can cost oil and gas clients $250,000 a day. Unpredictable equipment costs — If Tyler’s inexperienced team had accidentally broken or damaged the diamond wire saws, NNW Oil would’ve absorbed the cost. Priceless reputational damage — On-the-fly learning isn’t a good look, and any negative outcomes would’ve reflected poorly on NNW Oil, hurting its hard-earned reputation. But thanks to Mactech’s training, Tyler didn’t have to worry about any of that. And neither did his team. “All their hoses are color coded for crying out loud. They make sure that it is all user-friendly no matter what. And that's why I love their products." At Mactech's onsite training, you'll learn how to handle and maintain your equipment safely, inventory your spares kits and utilize best practices to ensure your success on every job. A portable machining vendor ready to work hard for you When it comes to the offshore industry, the job isn’t for the weak — and the pressure is on. Unfortunately, lots of portable machining vendors act like your problems can wait. And while they ignore your calls, you risk shouldering the blame for production delays or safety emergencies. We get it. That’s why we answered the phone for Tyler Bond. That’s why we pulled all the stops to get his team trained and deployed on time. That’s why we took their jobs just as seriously on Christmas Eve as they did. And that’s why operators have trusted us for 39 years. You hustle. And so do we. Are you ready for your next portable machining vendor? Reach out today.