CRA received an urgent request from a major oil service company seeking to provide corrosion resistant alloy material for use in manufacturing of downhole completion tools for an oil and gas operator. To win the order, the oil service company would have to manufacture the products in Houston, TX and deliver the products to the operator in Egypt in approximately 16 weeks.
Lead time from traditional mill sources for bar in the lengths required would be 16+ weeks with an additional 2+ weeks drilling time before material could enter production. This standard process would prevent the service company from being awarded the order. Using our just in time (JIT) mill we were able to provide the solution that resulted in the service company being awarded the order. Upon receipt of order, pre-material was pulled from inventory, processed through our mill into near size tubes, and tested with first delivery made within three weeks and delivery of final material within four weeks. In addition to the significant lead time reduction provided by CRA, utilizing mechanical tubes instead of bar reduced the oil service company’s internal manufacturing time and cost by eliminating production processes.”