Page 20: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2015)

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Opinion

ThoughtStream

Stan Bond, Hess

The need for lean uring the past decade, our industry of paper, making it simple to see and deepwater Gulf of Mexico, we used lean

D has applied new technologies and understand.

principles to successfully fast-track adapted old ones that enabled us to meet the project from sanction to ? rst oil in As we trained our people in lean, the world’s energy needs more ef? ciently, just three years. Extensive planning we applied it across our business. In productively and safely. was critical to our success. In fact, we Equatorial Guinea, we reduced the

As an engineer, I ? nd these innova- spent more time planning our wells duration of a planned turnaround by tions thrilling, but I believe our industry than executing the work. We designed almost 50%, and applied the lessons has only begun to embrace the most multiple scenarios for the ? eld develop- learned in the Gulf to eliminate a high- signi? cant innovation to transform our ment before drilling a well. And when impact turnaround. Across our offshore business. We are just now beginning to drilling began, we held regular meetings Americas and West Africa operations, leverage lean methodologies that have on lessons learned and applied them we used lean thinking to avoid approxi- bene? tted other industries for decades. immediately to the next phase of the mately 700 lifting and hoisting events,

Lean is about transforming leader- operation. Even in an under-appraised, reducing operating costs and safety ship, planning, learning and thinking. challenging, high-pressure, high- risks.

We have proven to ourselves and our

Ultimately, it’s about creating value temperature ? eld, the drilling and well partners that we can plan and execute and eliminating waste. That may not a major project safely and ef? ciently by sound as exciting as a technological applying key lean principles being used breakthrough, but it can result in faster onshore and in manufacturing. development, reduced downtime, safer

We used lean principles

Don’t get me wrong. I understand operations, lower costs and more pro? t- to successfully fast-track the application is different offshore, able projects.

With a systematic approach to con- especially in developments, but the the (Tubular Bells) project tinuous improvement in place and, rhetoric around “this won’t work here” from sanction as we like to say at Hess, an Army of is being removed. We need to become

Problem Solvers who apply lean every more ef? cient. Lean thinking is a lot to ? rst oil in day in their work, we have a much bet- like the drive to improve safety — you just three years.

ter chance as offshore operators to not never really get there, but you’re always just survive, but thrive during dif? cult striving to be better, safer, more ef? cient

Extensive planning market conditions. every day.

was critical to our

It may seem that the unconventionals Lean thinking has proven to be a value business — with its factory approach to driver for Hess, and a lesson I believe success. drilling, completions and pad facilities — will bene? t our industry as it confronts is the only obvious place to apply lean. the challenges of the global price of crude

But these same principles can be used and world energy needs, now and in offshore and in deepwater developments. years to come. placement was exceptional, resulting in

We have seen those bene? ts ? rsthand higher well performance.

at Hess and are actively applying them We are just beginning to understand Stan Bond is vice president of develop- across our business. Not just onshore, and apply lean, but we believe we are ments for offshore Americas and West but offshore in drilling, completions formulating a deepwater execution Africa for Hess Corp., a global indepen- and developments, as well as supply model we will use as the basis for our dent energy company engaged in the chain, information technology and other other important assets and develop- exploration and production of crude oil functions. ments in the Gulf, Ghana, Australia and and natural gas. Prior to joining Hess, he

People have argued that lean prin- worldwide. held positions with BP, Vastar Resources, ciples cannot be applied in larger, more

In our offshore operations we intro- Arco Oil & Gas Co., and Gulf Oil. Bond complex, longer cycle-time deepwa- duced the lean business planning process has a bachelor’s degree in petroleum ter developments due to the tailored to focus on meeting annual safety, engineering from Mississippi State ? eld-development requirements. Yet, production and cost targets. That out- University and is a registered profes- at our Tubular Bells development in lined the entire business plan on a sheet sional engineer.

May 2015 | OE oedigital.com 22 022_OE0515_Thoughtstream1_Hess.indd 22 4/19/15 10:57 PM