Q'Max - 20th Anniversary

Q’Max Solutions Inc. 20th Anniversary

By John Hardy

T

he first 20 years of Q’Max Solutions has been about solid client/partner relationships built on co-operation, respect and service excellence; the development of innovative, cutting-edge technology; and giving back to Q’Max communities.

The next 20 years of Q’Max Solutions will be about dynamic growth and ... lots more of the same: solid client and partner relationships; an uncompromised commitment to efficient service; the development of exciting new technology; and – from Calgary to Peru and from India to Mexico – giving back to Q’Max communities.

“Our company started modestly but ambitiously with five determined drilling professionals in Western Canada,” says Q’Max president and CEO, Chris Rivers. “Today, Q’Max is a remarkable team of more than 1,400 people, earning the Q’Max reputation every day, in nine countries with more to be added soon.”

Rivers is cautious (and good-naturedly cagey) about

tipping his hand and revealing too much about specific Q’Max plans and strategies for 2014 and beyond.

Enthusiastically, he confirms strategic expansion plans, mentions some particulars and outlines that industryleading Q’Max will be introducing new, state-of-the-art oilfield services and deliverables at all Q’Max locations.

In addition to earning and solidifying its industry reputation, the first 20 Q’Max years have reinforced the distinctive Q’Max approach to thoroughly understanding individual customer needs and – whether it requires modifying, adapting, designing or creating entirely new systems – doing whatever it takes to deliver and apply the most effective drilling fluid solutions.

One of the key, competitive-edge Q’Max differences is respecting the individuality of the Q’Max customer.

Because the situations and challenges are different, and invariably impacted by each geographical area, the development and application of the most effective Q’Max

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L-R: Len Baltoiu, VP Technology; Paul Meek VP, Canada; Chris Rivers, President & CEO; Reg Northcott, Exec VP. Photo by Nancy Bielecki.

drilling fluid system solution is virtually ‘customized’ for the specific site and assignment.

For example, the situations and solutions in the shale plays of Texas are bound to be different from the needs and solutions required in India or offshore Mexico.

“Our job has a heavy focus on the special needs and circumstances of each specific customer,” says a proud Reg Northcott, a Q’Max founder and one of the oil and gas industry’s most respected professionals and the upbeat and extremely knowledgeable executive vice president of Q’Max Solutions. “And we apply our expertise by understanding the unique situation of our individual customer.

“The past 20 years in the business has definitely expanded our deliverables and, although we have achieved much growth, the first two decades of Q’Max performance and success haven’t really changed us,” he adds.

“On the contrary! We are more focused than ever on the individuality of each Q’Max customer. As a service company, it is absolutely our most important job. To identify the specific needs and problems of our customer, apply our expertise to tailor and design the most suitable drilling fluid solutions to maximize the customer’s efficiency.”

“It’s what Q’Max is all about.”

The dedicated oil and gas drilling professionals in Q’Max and the leadership of industry visionaries like Chris Rivers, Reg Northcott, Paul Meek and Len Baltoiu enable Q’Max to deliver the specialized services that today’s oil

and gas customers need and are looking for: the resources of a multinational service company with the customized focus and attention of an independent.

“We want them to think of us as a big city with a smalltown feel,” Northcott says with a warm smile.

Whether in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Bogota, Colombia or Quito, Ecuador, specialized research and development (R&D) is done at each location-unique Q’Max operation.

The specialized focus on the individual customer has not only become one of most sought-after aspects of the Q’Max brand and reputation but it has also become somewhat of a Q’Max trademark: “local” R&D, creating uniquely “local” and effective systems and “local” solutions to resolve “local” problems.

Rivers explains that each country represents a fully equipped and self-sufficient independent Q’Max business unit. Each business unit enjoys considerable autonomy, which maximizes rapid responses to customer needs, while enjoying the advantages of having valuable access to the technical, logistical, purchasing, financial and operational expertise of the company, as a whole.

The lab work and industrial trials are all done in local Q’Max facilities and always supported by an international group of Q’Max technical specialists (called “The Wolf Pack”), who are connected in real time across all Q’Max business units.

Having fully staffed, comprehensive fluid and research

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testing facilities at all of the company’s labs, worldwide, is also an invaluable Q’Max difference. The labs employ trained technical professionals including PhDs, professional engineers, biologists, solids control equipment specialists and chemical engineers.

As loyal Q’Max clients and competitors alike agree, it’s just one factor that sets the innovative company apart ... and in an industry league of its own.

After 20 distinguished years, Q’Max continues as an industry leader in oil and gas technology and drilling systems, providing customers with expertise and valuable services that includes research, planning and development of provenly effective drilling fluid solutions, cost/ risk analysis, benchmarking, laboratory analysis, drilling fluid system design, solids control services equipment and much more.

Providing the most efficient and up-to-date drilling fluid solutions and services for the customer continues as Q’Max priority No. 1.

Also vitally important is the specialized R&D that enables Q’Max to constantly create and upgrade the newest and most effective drilling fluid systems and technologies.

Cutting-edge R&D has also become Q’Max hallmarks.

Because drilling for heavy oil poses particular problems such as tar accretion, high torque and drag, borehole stability, mud foaming, high waste disposal and cleanup costs, the 20 years of Q’Max experience combine with proven and solid Q’Max innovation and expertise to transform oilfield challenges into effective solutions.

“Q’Max does not negotiate for a job. We earn it!” says the industry pride and passion of Len Baltoiu, Q’Max vice president of technology. “The client is most important and drives all that we do. And one of the truly special aspects of the Q’Max client relationship is that, regardless the job or the assignment, the client always gets the whole company, not just a crew.

“We take the time to properly understand the specific situation and their needs. Then our labs and the full team of Q’Max technical specialists work together to provide optimum technological and economical options for the client’s specific situation and issue. Delivering value on their terms is what we do.”

As VP of technology, he oversees the gamut of Q’Max fluid systems and drilling fluid products, and all of the other Q’Max speciality solutions, developed by the expertise of skilled Q’Max engineers and researchers and specifically designed to deal with virtually any oilfield challenge in any area around the world.

With the spectrum of proprietary Q’Max systems and fluid control products – from CBMaxTM, Q’Drill, Q’Temp EX, SmartSealTM, HybriDrill EDE and ES to Q’Core, Q’BAM, Q’Plug and calcium removers, corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, brines and other speciality products – Q’Max continues to earn the rank of being a true, inter-

national industry leader when it comes to exceptional and unmatched oilfield services such as reducing drilling time and drilling fluid costs as well as providing the latest, state-of-the-art solutions for waste management issues.

The global focus on sustainability and the greening of the industry, renewable energies and systems and procedures also affirms Q’Max as a world leader in research and development, having already achieved several breakthroughs that are invaluable in helping Q’Max clients also be on the cutting edge.

The management of water has become a major initiative throughout the upstream oil and gas industry. The development of unconventional plays and the drilling expansion into arid and environmentally sensitive areas brings with it increased emphasis on industry action about the conservation and protection of water.

Q’Max has developed one particular and patented technology trade named the Mudstripper, that has reduced water consumption on drilling locations by as much as 50 per cent, while significantly reducing drilling times, waste volumes and associated handling, trucking and lease construction costs.

This technology, used on some 2000-plus Q’Max wells, is a perfect fit for oil and gas projects where water conservation and water management is a priority, but particularly effective in remote locations where access to rig power is limited, and fluid waste management is critical.

Another excellent example is the recognition and acclaim for their QHSE (quality, health, safety and environment) systems in Mexico, based on continuous improvement principles, with each QHSE project being developed as a compliance program that is evaluated and upgraded on a regular basis.

Other key aspects of customized and comprehensive Q’Max services are some vital components such as the uncompromised Q’Max consistency of providing comprehensive summaries, analyzing data from well sites, compiling detailed performance, product usage and cost reports and supplying the Q’Max client with continuous improvement recommendations.

The Q’Max sales, operational, technical, research and service staff work together to enhance the success probabilities of each project. They also submit up-to-date information about the environmental disposal of fluids and cuttings while drilling – always staying current and ensuring that the customer is updated with governmental and industry regulations regarding drilling waste.

Baltoiu, who has been with Q’Max for more than 18 years, is gung-ho about being part of so many exciting industry and company changes. “We must constantly reinvent ourselves to always be fresh and current, looking at things with fresh eyes,” he urges. “One thing that never changes is deliverables. We unconditionally deliver value to our clients.”

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“Deliverables are the core of what we do. It’s the top Q’Max priority and what has helped us achieve the 20 years of industry service and client relationship success,” Rivers adds with conviction. “Our client/partner list includes national and multinational companies throughout the world and is growing daily.

“That’s why – in addition to exciting strategic growth and expansion of sites and operations – we will soon enhance our customized solutions and integrated focus.

We have already begun to add to our drilling fluids suite and are developing various new deliverables to even more effectively service our customers’ needs.”

Each and every Q’Max year, the 1,400 staff walk the talk and prove that there’s more, much more to business ... than business.

One of the Q’Max Solutions’ core priorities is giving back to its community.

Q’Max supports its local communities and prioritizes and encourages company and employee philanthropy.

Q’Max is an enthusiastic booster of many community groups: from food banks, the Canadian Cancer Society, Child Find, youth sports, and several health and wellness causes. Q’Max people volunteer unselfishly in every location while they work; they support and enhance schools

“Deliverables are the core of what we do. It’s the top Q’Max priority and what has helped us achieve the 20 years of industry service and client relationship success. ” ~ Chris Rivers

and hospitals; and they make a difference to their community wherever they are.

After 20 exciting years of uncompromised oilfield service excellence, after 20 years of industry-respected and cutting-edge oil-field innovation and ingenuity, after 20 years of building solid relationships, after 20 years of earning satisfied and loyal Q’Max clients and after 20 years of being recognized as a true industry leader – Q’Max is a genuine oilfield service company.

Another vital Q’Max edge is management’s attitude, leadership and the confidence that filters through the company’s operations, from head office to staff, the sites, the labs, to client/partners and even throughout the industry.

It is solid and professional positivity – and Chris Rivers has it, in spades.

He is openly revved and bullish about Q’Max and the overall potential within the industry. “Oil and gas has always been a cyclical business,” he says with firm determination. “But despite a temporary softness in prices, the long term is positive. Oil drilling is robust and the outlook is strong and good.

“For our staff – and for our company – we have exciting times ahead!” •

20th

Anniversary

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