Brand-leading Centek Group specialises in the development of engineering solutions for casing running environments. “Excellence to the core is our mantra,” said Global Director, Marketing & Product Management John Costine; “one that has made Centek the benchmark for centralisation products for over 20 years. Whatever the casing running challenge, we have the product to meet it.” Imogen Ward and Colin Chinery report.
With three-continent manufacturing powerhouses and powered by innovation, premium quality and strong trading partnerships, Devon-based Centek designs and produces a global frontrunner range of revolutionary centralisers and stop collars.
Outstanding centraliser performance is achieved across six key areas; optimising strength, run ability, flow by area, pipe rotation, stand-off and flexibility. By providing unprecedented stand-off – the smallest distance between the outside diameter of the casing and the wellbore –Centek delivers optimum pipe centralisation, aiding pipe rotation and easing the string to total depth.
Risk and rig time
“Our focus has always been to reduce risk and rig time,” said Global Director, Marketing & Product Management John Costine. “and by using a unique alloy that pairs with our heat treat process and utilising a team of accomplished engineers, several Centek designs have become the benchmark for performance in our segment. Our proprietary simulation programme is globally recognised as being at the forefront when predicting centraliser placement.”
Founded in 2001 by an entrepreneur with engineering support based on the concept of the single-piece bow spring centraliser, the Newton Abbot headquartered business has grown to achieve pre-eminent status
John Costine Global Director of Marketing
across the world, with manufacturing bases in the UK, USA and China.
“We strive to have products available in each of the three geo regions with manufacturing and stocking distributors throughout,” said Mr Costine. “Safety, quality, availability and reliability allow us to gain share in the global market.”
The nurturing of long-term partnerships and relationships with suppliers has been a key driver. “Establishing a cadence for communication and supplier reviews ensures that both parties understand and meet expectations together.” Mr Costine continued “Our steel suppliers have been most influential in our success.”
A game-changing debut
Centek’s debut back in 2001 was a gamechanger. Although the oil and gas industry had seen many companies achieving American Petroleum Institute (API) recognition, it was clear that centraliser design had seen no significant improvements for 40 years. Enter Centek: and in its first operational year, the newcomer launched a new category of centralisers - the S2 - setting benchmarks and changing perceptions of standards and quality.
“We've continued to develop and now offer a range of centralisers which covers the full market – from simple, vertical sections of the well, where a low-cost
cen traliser will perform as needed, right through to deep water ultra-tight annulus sections where a sub or close tolerance centraliser is the only way to go,” Mr Costine said.
Centek Group’s engineering capabilities, coupled with a commitment to continuous improvement within the manufacturing process, means it can quickly bring new products to market, tested to its own and the API’s exacting requirements. A current market showpiece is the Centek S2 singlepiece centraliser, an industry leader in engineered performance.
“The combination of strength and flexibility needed for efficiency and performance are unmatched,” Mr Costine explained. “Our TUR and UROS models benefit from the same characteristics and are designed for the toughest offshore and deepwater under-reamed applications.”
Closer to its West Country home, Centek has delivered S2 HD and OBS-2 single-piece centralisers on behalf of Halliburton to perform in the high temperature and extreme pressures of a new rock-deep well at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Pressure of another sort hit the company in 2020 when the double-hit of price collapse and Covid-19 forced the oil and gas industry to fast-track into lean operation.
“These factors definitely had an effect on headcount, and Centek wasn’t immune,” said Mr Costine. “As a company that had grown to nearly 200 employees, we were forced to downsize by 75 per cent. But it’s impressive to note that our retention level for this segment is among the best in the industry. As we build back our resources, former employees are the first to reach out and return.”
Stringent control
Centek’s brand-leading quality is ensured by stringent measured controls on raw materials, processes and continual employee training, according to Mr Costine: “Each product can be traced from cradle to grave, from steel mill to final QC in our facilities. Adherence to API and ISO standards are industry benchmarks that further guide us. Centek’s customers know that our products perform to stated values consistently.”
This is an achievement that motivates the company’s former North American Sales Manager who took up his present post five years ago. “I get excited about the performance level and consistency of the product we manufacture,” he continued. “You must believe in a product to stand behind it and be sincere. We work in a
culture that has a front-line obsession, whether it be inside our factories or in the field with distributors and end users. Everyone has a voice and the ability to share, create and contribute.”
While manufacturing expansion is not among the company’s current plans, Centek is looking to grow its presence through trading partners and sales professionals
Industry best
“We are very nimble, our lead times are among the best in the industry and it’s our goal to be the preferred supplier of a full range of casing equipment to a globa l market,” said Mr Costine. “Our challenge is to share our message of safety quality, availability and reliability. Pricing pressure is coming from foreign markets with
inferior technology risk performance and safety to people and the environment. Set against that, our mission is to enable safer and more productive access to energy one well at a time.
“Excellence to the core is our mantra which has made Centek the benchmark for centralisation products for over 20 years. Whatever the casing running challenge, we have the product to meet it.”
With a safety record free from any OSHA reportable injuries passing seven years and still counting, Mr Costine stressed the centrality of operational staff and their safety: “People are important, culture is important, and safety comes first.
“We all have a job to do, but at the end of the day, we want to go home to our families with integrity, knowing we have a voice, we are heard, and we are safe.” n
