#3. Applications Engineering
Sometimes a compression vendor’s best work takes place before the project is even awarded. When a Request for Quote arrives at Compass, it lands in Barclay Sexsmith’s inbox.
As Manager of Engineering Applications, he leads an experienced, tight-knit team that addresses the technical specs for RFQs. In some cases, the requested solution is the best answer for the production situation. Very often, however, Sexsmith’s team can investigate and recommend a solution that meets the client’s needs even better than the solution being requested.
“There’s the equipment they have in mind, and then there’s what they want that equipment to do,” he says. “We can often add value for the customer with an idea that costs less or can be built more quickly, and could also function better in the field, to avoid bottlenecks or unnecessary shutdowns.”
The Applications team’s experience spans a wide range of compression equipment, field conditions and operational scenarios. Process simulation software – well-known in the industry, but used more strategically at Compass – helps Compass engineers maximize up-time and performance while containing costs. Ongoing communication between Applications and Project Management ensures the solution that’s ultimately chosen can be built and delivered efficiently.
It would be easy enough to take the customer’s RFQ, cut-and-paste specs for the requested equipment and staple a price sheet to it. Compass does more. By asking the right questions, adding their own experience and painstakingly working through the simulations, Compass application engineers can often propose something better. This ultimately saves the customer time and money, while guarding against problems out in the field. For Barclay Sexsmith and his team, that’s all part of the Compass difference.
“We go a bit deeper to find what’s right for the customer,” he says. “Because we deal with this every day, and have for many years, we can foresee problems and have an up-front conversation about a better solution.”