Wyatt Field Service Co. has been making a name for itself in the petrochemical and refining industry since 1913. Wyatt has a reputation for completing projects safely, on time and under budget. Its work was recently commended by the Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex during a 2018 hydrocracker (HCU) turnaround (TA). According to Shell General Manager Brett Woltjen, "The HCU TA and the accompanying HCU Reconfiguration Project were both strategic and business critical projects for Shell Norco in our 2018 business plan."
Woltjen went on to say, "During the preconstruction phase for the HCU Reconfiguration Project, Wyatt worked over 313,000 hours providing strong leadership along with a positive workforce that was visible on a daily basis. Wyatt employees installed 600-plus tons of steel and over 26,000 feet of pipe while adapting to the nature of the project being hyper-compressed. Over 1,800 welds were made with less than a 0.5-percent repair rate."
The project, which was originally projected to take over a year to complete, was completed in around eight months -- a commendable feat for any contractor. But according to Wyatt Project Manager Eric Varnell, this is to be expected from the Wyatt team. He stated, "Wyatt's experienced craft workforce and top-rated team of frontline supervisors are some of the best in the business. They work project after project together, consolidating their work into a well streamlined workforce."
According to Varnell, Wyatt is unique in that it offers "a true project team without silos. Our planners, engineers, quality control and the employees performing the work all gel extremely well. I think the keys to this are our department heads and executive team, [who] understand that our experienced group of frontline supervisors and craftsmen are something special."
The Shell Norco project in particular "was an extremely fast-paced project; the pipe planning was being done as we mobilized and began construction of the heater," Varnell said. "Wyatt constructed a heater from the ground up on-site, set dozens of pieces of equipment and installed 650 tons of steel (including an overbuild rack in a live operating unit)." He added that, of the 26,000 feet of pipe, 6,000 feet were in a live pipe rack, and the team was able to complete this project with a peak headcount of around 300 employees.
So, what explains Wyatt's success on this massive Louisiana project? Varnell proposed, "The group performed well by extending the planning phase mindset into the project. We continued to challenge the process and to find ways to better execute quality work safely and on schedule. Our site leadership stayed in the field and connected to the project." He added that "outstanding planning and engineering departments, along with over 105 years of safe, quality work performed by our craftsmen, are also major contributing factors to the continuing success of Wyatt."
This is not the only project that has received praise from Shell as a customer. "In addition to the work performed on the HCU Reconfiguration, Wyatt also provided the planning and execution for the DU-5 upper crude column section replacement," Woltjen affirmed. "This work also progressed safely and on schedule as Wyatt employees overcame challenges associated with the fit of the upper crude column replacement section."
Due to customer satisfaction with Wyatt's performance on the Norco job, Wyatt is currently working on several upcoming projects for Shell in the Texas and Louisiana area. Shell thanked Wyatt for the contributions that made "the HCU TA and the HCU Reconfiguration Project a world-class event."
For more information, visit www.WyattFieldService.com or call (281) 675-1300.
