PACKERS PLUS
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`FRACTURING
`
`LEADING THE WAY
`
`Multistage tracking pioneer
`Packers Plus plays major role in
`cracking the tight oil code
`
`WHEN THE HISTOIIV of all the business success stories
`emerging from the development of the tight oil and gas
`reservoirs in western Canada and the western United
`States is chronicled, the story of a 12-year-old Calgary~
`based company that specializes in an area of oilfield
`teclmology unheard of until the last few years might be
`the most remarkable.
`"We started small,” says Dan Themig, president
`of Packers Plus Energy Services Inc. ”When we were
`starting to set up our offices, I brought a computer
`from my house and we bought office furniture at the
`Salvation Army.”
`A decade later, the privately owned company
`employs over 750 and has annual sales likely in the hun«
`dreds of millions of dollars—although Themig refuses
`to divulge revenue figures. He says dollar figures aren't
`important and serving customers is.
`Packers Plus has built two state—of—the—art manufae«
`turing centres and a Rapid Tool Development facility-
`specializing in engineering, research and development,
`and esting—in Edmonton. It also maintains a U.S. cor-
`porate oftice, a technology centre and a Rapid Tool De-
`velopment facility in Houston. it has seven offiees and/
`or facilities overall in Canada, 11 in the United States,
`and las offices worldwide, including in the Middle East,
`the North Sea region, China and Latin America, with 31
`offices overall.
`”hemig says it's inevitable that it will double its
`wor (force in the next few years.
`"hemig and partners Ken Paltzat and Peter Krabben,
`who had all worked together at the former Dresser
`Industries and then for Halliburton Energy Services
`Inc, which bought out that company, knew exactly
`wha they wanted to do with the fledgling company
`when they left secure jobs and formed it.
`"We were committed from day one to bringing
`technology to the land-based drilling industry, with a
`focus on horizontal completions," said Themig.
`That focus led to the development of a number of
`completion technologies, starting with the StackFRAC
`system, which revolutionized the completions sector by
`introducing multistage fracturing systems in horizontal
`wells, credited with unlocking the potential of tight and
`shale oil and natural gas.
`The firm has since introduced dozens of products,
`including the new QuickFRAC system in 2011, which
`allows for up to 60 stages downhole while pumping 15
`treatments at surface.
`"QuickFRAC is a great technology that can meet the
`need for increased stage numbers in formations such
`as the Bakken, Horn River and the Montney as well as
`many others,” said Themig. ”QuickFRAC allows the
`operator to do the job of pumping 15 stages on surface
`
`while Packers Plus does the job downhole, providing
`as many as 60 individual stages. This is done by taking
`a single pumping treatment on surface and precisely
`directing it into two to five stages downhole. For the
`operator, pumping time and costs are reduced signifi-
`cantly and production results are greatly increased.”
`Last summer it introduced its RepeaterPORT sleeve
`technology, which allows operators to increase the
`number of stages per lateral when they utilize existing
`Packers Plus systems.
`“When we started the company we saw the need
`for high—end fracturing completions technology," said
`Themig. ”There was horizontal drilling going on, but
`nobody was fracking.”
`The idea of starting a service firm that concentrated
`on a value—added niche came partially as a result of a
`class Themig took while he was studying towards a
`master's degree in business administration. "The pro-
`fessor said a business can either be a Saks Fifth Avenue
`or be a low—end alternative,” he said. ”We picked the
`Saks model."
`Packers Plus first introduced its completions tech-
`nology in the Barnett shale in 2003 and it now domi-
`nates the completions segment in most land—based tight
`and shale oil plays.
`
`A FASTER, IIHEENEH
`Capable of fracturing 60
`stages downhole while only
`pumping l5 treatments at the
`surface. the Packers Plus
`QuickFRAC system also greatly
`reduces water usage by using
`consistent pumping roles.
`
`"When we started you could do five fracs,” he said.
`"Our StackFRAC brought that up to 20 and now we
`have technology that can do 60.”
`More recently it has moved into the offshore
`market. "Offshore reservoirs might have an extended
`production life of 20 years or so because of our technol-
`ogy,” said Themig. ”We don't think the market under
`stands that potential yet.”
`It continues to be an engineering—focused company,
`with about 10 per cent of its employees having engin~
`eering or technology degrees. He said the company has
`dozens of engineering projects underway and a number
`of projects in the developing stages.
`Themig said the firm will be introducing a range
`of new products over the next six to seven years. And
`it's expanding its manufacturing capacity for a good
`reason. "We can't keep up with demand,” he said. I
`Jim Bentein
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`CANADIAN OILPATCH TECHNOLOGY GUIDEBOOK ' VOL 11 2012
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`1 of 1
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`Exhibit 2005
`IPR2016-01517