|
Magnetism,
luck help Rattler snag customers in oil patch
|
| City
Business June 1, 2004 |
| By
Richard Slawsky |
| Staff
Writer |
| |
|
|
| EFFORTS
BY Harvey-based Rattler Tools to build an international distribution
network for the company's drilling tools may be paying off thanks
to a well-timed electrical fire. |
|
Together,
the team has nearly 100 years experience in the oil and gas
industry. Ruttley designed the Mag Trap and several other tools
the company is developing. |
| The
4-year old designer and distributor of tools for the drilling
industry was a hit at the Offshore Technology Conference held
this month in Houston. Rattler Tools officials have been working
to spark international interest in the Mag Trap, a tool designed
by the company for cleaning metallic debris from drilling bore
holes. |
|
Although
the company's name conjures images of snakes, it actually stems
from a tool the company has under development. The tool, whose
function is still secret, makes a loud rattling noise as it
operates. |
| "We
decided at the last minute to attend the conference," said
Butch Gros, Rattler Tools vice president. "We were kind
of upset that we couldn't get an interior booth and we wound
up under a tent outside the main entrance." |
|
Rattler
already has about 100 Mag Traps in operation in areas ranging
from the Gulf of Mexico to Norway and India. According to Butch
Gros, most major oil companies doing deepwater drilling in the
Gulf are already using its hardware. |
| On
the second day of the show, a booth on the convention floor
experienced a minor electrical fire. The resulting alarm sent
all attendees outside the building where they were hustled to
an area right in front of Rattler's tent. |
|
"To
have 100 in circulation is fairly extensive for an oil tool,"
Gros said. "It has been self-financed from day one and
has grown solely by word-of-mouth."The Mag Trap is a "fishing"
tool meant to retrieve items or debris from the bottom of an
oil well. The Mag Trap appears to be a simple device, but it
comes from years of testing by Ruttley. |
| "We
got tremendous traffic and that generated additional traffic
in the later days of the show," Gros said. |
|
While
a well is being drilled, metallic fragments from drilling tools
grind off or equipment may break. The problem may come from
something as simple as an oilfield worker dropping a wrench
down the hole. |
| Officials
from Rattler Tools are in talks with several oilfield supply
companies to set up a distribution network for the company's
products. The Mag Trap is the main tool the company is marketing
right now, but several other tools are in development and will
be introduced once the distribution network is established.
|
|
As
debris accumulates in the hole, it slows the drilling process,
eventually halting it. The fragments may contaminate the drilling
fluid pumped into the hole, clogging filters and damaging pumping
equipment. |
| In
June, Rattler officials are participating in a trade mission
with the state of Louisiana to seek business in Venezuela, which
has some of the largest oilfield reserves in the world. |
|
When
most wells were relatively shallow and vertical, removing the
debris was as simple as dropping a basket containing a magnet
into the hole. As wells go deeper, however, temperatures may
top 500 degrees Fahrenheit or more, making conventional magnets
ineffective. For horizontal wells, baskets are useless. |
| "Any
time a company is expanding we try to connect them with new
customers," said Mike Taylor, petrochemical cluster director
for the Louisiana Department of Economic Development. "Our
economy is built around the oilfields. It is absolutely critical
that we are strong in that industry." |
|
"The
magnets we use, which are proprietary, are good to at least
600 degree," Gros said. "The Mag Trap is the only
thing that will get ferrous material out of horizontal wells." |
| The
privately held company doesn't release revenue figures, but
Gros said Rattler is on track to triple first-year revenues.
The company has been able to grow without carrying any debt,
he said. |
|
Once
Rattler establishes its distribution network, the company plans
to open other offices around the country. However, Gros said,
there are no plans to move operations out of Harvey. |
| Rattler
Tools, located on Peters Road along the Harvey Canal, is led
by David Ruttley, president, Jesse Gros and his son, Butch Gros,
vice presidents, and Alice Gros (no relation to Jesse or Butch)
secretary and treasurer. |
|
New
Orleans works out better for us as a home base because we can
move east or west, and New Orleans has a good port and a good
airport system," Gros said. "Our main office will
always be right here." |
