With a passion to pioneer, Development & Engineering (D&E) continue to bring new ideas to life, transforming innovation into reality. It’s this ability to think and do differently that forms the foundation on which our company is built, as we help our clients solve challenges with not just conventional wisdom but entirely novel solutions.
Transforming our ideas into real technologies requires a level of craftsmanship second to none in our industry. From the original Well Tractor® through to the pioneering Welltec® Annular Barrier, we’ve set a benchmark for brilliance in Completion and Intervention services, with tools and solutions that can operate under the most extreme conditions.
The ability to safely, consistently and quickly manufacture custom components to any configuration has established us as an industry leader and continues to guide our overall strategy towards product delivery.
Manufacturing a smaller footprint
Our Focus is Clear - At our manufacturing facilities in Allerød and Esbjerg (Denmark), we’re investing in more sustainable initiatives, with successful results.
By recycling 100% of our scrap metals, machine oils, and securing other waste materials, we continue to shrink our environmental footprint. Optimal Performance with Maximum Efficiency is our mission, ensuring that every project we undertake.
Agility and flexibility define the way in which Welltec is set up.
Our Development & Engineering (D&E) and main manufacturing functions are co-located in Denmark. Intervention tools and solutions are produced in Allerød – a small community just north of Copenhagen – while Completion products are made in Esbjerg, the Danish oilfield hub.
Starting with a handful of experts in Welltec now has a dedicated and highly skilled workforce of more than 200 people spread across multiple countries. As a result of continued growth, additional manufacturing facilities have been established in Tyumen (Russia) and Al-Khobar (Saudi Arabia), further enabling us to respond to client needs across the globe with incredibly short lead times
D&E is divided into several sub functions of pure engineering and design. This includes the disciplines of electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic engineering, as well as software and manufacturing specialization for Computer Numerical Control (CNC) where we have automation engineers and technicians.
Additional sub functions include production & assembly incorporating key skill sets such as industrial welding, assembly and quality control.
Always focused on the future, our aim is to embed automated processes throughout our manufacturing centers – processes that lead to real, quantifiable results. Now contributing to the vast majority of equipment output, the advantages of CNC Robotics are clear, further reinforcing our stated aim to deliver safe, fast and faultless services.
Automation has required a significant investment in terms of time, money, patience, learning, and most importantly: personnel. Automation has allowed us to optimize our capital expenditure while boosting our production levels by well over 100% and still rising.
One of the most important learnings from our journey has been that adding automated machinery and robots alone isn’t enough to yield meaningful or lasting results. Acceptance of this technology and training people to use these new manufacturing methods has been key. Just as the manufacturing process has evolved over time, so too have the requirements of the people working in manufacturing. Today, we employ a healthy mixture of highly skilled craftsmen and women from all backgrounds, as well as engineers and technicians direct from universities. Graduates with the programming capabilities to manage complete production lines from start to finish.
The capacity to maintain a 24/7 manufacturing operation is one of the key benefits derived from the introduction of automation to our processes.
While people remain at the heart of our business, there are now key areas where machines excel: repeatability, quality control, and production to microscopic tolerances.
The most direct indicator of efficiency is the percentage of time that CNC machines are reducing swarf time, which clearly highlights the levels of improved performance. It is a high-level indicator with a number of contributing factors including equipment utilization, equipment operational status, engineering input, and the flow of all materials to CNC machines.
In terms of manufacturing benchmarks, the automotive industry is often viewed as one of the most efficient in the world. A world class operation in this domain sees machines taking swarf around 88% of the time. We have, in turn, taken these industry leading targets as our own and are currently on track at around 75% and steadily climbing. An achievement that’s as much a testimony to the quality and determination of our people as it is to the standard of our machines.
Our approach has always been to put our clients first. We’re completely focused on providing our clients the most advanced solutions through innovation, and our dedication influences our entire culture and everything we do: it needs to. In today’s tough operating environment, our clients still expect the best, along with even greater value.
Meeting these demands is an inherent part of our D&E strategy, along with our quest to eliminate all forms of waste and non-value-adding processes through automation. It’s a mission we started over 25 years ago and it’s one we’ll continue for many more.
