The role of aftermarket is as diverse as our products. We deliver a globally integrated aftermarket service including rental of tools and intervention support; maintenance, repair and spares supply; customer property management including storage and preservation; operational and technical support; implementation of strategies designed to optimise field production; and the re-supply of brownfield equipment.
In terms of aftermarket support, our ultimate goal is to continue to enhance the performance and reliability of our equipment once installed and operational.
We have been delivering products and solutions to the global oil and gas industry for more than 30 years. Record high sales volumes in 2007 means we will see our installed base rapidly increasing – and ultimately translating into revenue generated through aftermarket support.
For our customers, any interruptions translate into losses and, given the complexity of the equipment, it is often not an option to go anywhere else for aftermarket support. Increasingly, customers are selecting a broader range of services through long-term service agreements. For subsea developments this can be extended for the life-of-field, or 20 to 25 years.
The successful execution of our service contracts requires a well co-ordinated approach from pricing, monitoring and building the appropriate supply chains, to day-to-day management of service delivery. A key strategy in successfully delivering these services is to leverage local content, drawing upon resources, skills and expertise in the region whenever possible. To meet this challenge and develop our high standards of service, we are building up our local aftermarket infrastructure by expanding our global network. Our aftermarket organisation now has more than 1 500 people, deployed in 16 locations worldwide.
In 2007, we expanded our existing aftermarket facility in Rio das Ostras, Brazil and opened three new service bases in Kakinada, Singapore and Houston. These facilities are strategically located in order to provide aftermarket support closer to our customers and the ultimate point of demand.
The future in Aftermarket
Current demand for oil is at an all-time high, fuelled in large part by the rapid growth of the Indian and Chinese economies. Looking to bridge the gap between supply and demand, operators will be faced by a number of challenges: how to operate more efficiently, how to get more out of their reservoirs, and how to manage deepwater developments.
The future of Aker Solutions’ aftermarket support will focus on techniques and technologies aimed at successfully rising to these challenges.
Rental hub
Renting our specialist tools rather than buying them is often a more cost-efficient and attractive option for our customers. It also provides an additional basis for regular dialogue and maintaining sustained customer relationships. We are further developing our rental offerings by taking on more capital-intensive equipment. As a result our customers receive important benefits, including cost savings, while we profit from the equipment over several years.
Increased oil recovery (IOR)
With growing demand, oil and gas operators are pushed to find ways of improving recovery from existing reservoirs. By 2012, there could be in excess of 6000 subsea wells, many of which will require specialist maintenance or intervention services.
Our intervention techniques and subsea boosting technologies can potentially enhance recovery from these wells by up to 20 percent. Following the recent success of our MultiBooster™ system at the King field in the Gulf of Mexico, we will see important developments in this area over the coming decade. These complex systems require ongoing maintenance to ensure continuing successful results.
Case history: well intervention
| Aker Solutions is focused on developing techniques and technologies that will allow for well intervention in deeper water with smaller vessels, bringing down vessel-associated costs and thus offering companies greater flexibility and increasing their intervention frequency.
Aker, Aker Solutions and DOF Subsea established Aker Oilfield Services to target the growing market for increased oil recovery services. The company will offer its customers subsea well intervention services by means of both riserless and riser-based subsea well intervention systems.
Aker Solutions will expand its subsea service offering by providing equipment and personnel to the world's first deepwater Subsea Equipment Support Vessel (SESV). The result of a 5 + 5 year contract between Aker Oilfield Services and Brazil's national oil company, Petrobras, the SESV is tailored for water depths up to 2000 metres.
The SESV will undertake a broad range of services related to subsea equipment intervention. Overall this partnership is a great example of how we can successfully combine the strengths and capabilities of the wider Aker family. |
Case history: deepwater drilling rigs
| Reserves in ultra deepwater will play an important role in meeting the future demands for oil and gas. With oil prices reaching more than USD 100 /barrel, operators have enough incentive to invest their dollars into exploring these regions.
This has sparked a rapid increase of order intake for our deepwater drilling rigs which are specifically designed with more powerful drilling equipment and higher lifting capacity.
At present we have 275 rigs in operation worldwide, with a further 78 under construction. If current levels of deepwater activity are sustained, there could be between 60 and 80 new builds towards 2015.
An immediate challenge for customers is a huge shortage in personnel to operate these drilling rigs. Aker Solutions has made major investments to develop a 3D drilling simulator designed to provide real-time scenarios based on operators actions.
Adequate training on operation and maintenance will ensure the safe operation of our drilling rigs and limit the down-time caused by human error. International offshore drilling contractor Seadrill will utilise this technology to train many of their 2 000+ new recruits in 2008. |
Summary
The oil and gas industry has an unpredictable cyclic nature, driven by both the world economy and politics. Not only does our ever increasing installed base have positive implications in terms of aftermarket revenue, good deliveries into the aftermarket will build strong customer relationships thereby creating continued new sales and generating profits long into the future.
Where we are - subsea offices worldwide
Our Aftermarket operations are supported by a technically skilled, broadly experience based workforce, who are deployed in locations around the world.
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