For energy companies that produce large amounts of oil and natural gas, a clear picture of assets, operations, and equipment location, usage and movement are vital. 

Manual procedures are both costly, time-consuming,  and prone to human errors, making them inaccurate and unreliable. 

Luckily, GPS technology can help energy companies with time-saving solutions and enhancing operations. 

How energy companies achieve efficiency with GPS technology

Managing high-value assets is a significant challenge for energy companies today. In the past, most companies utilized manual inventory keeping, with tracking being an afterthought. And even to date, some companies still rely on outdated manual procedures to manage and oversee their assets. 

But in this technological era, the last thing you want to do is keep a manual inventory of your assets—it is impractical, time-consuming,  and risky. 

“It wasn't too terribly long ago we spent a lot of hours in a week's time chasing down assets, trying to figure out where things were to get them in here to our shop and service equipment. Even just trying to track stuff down and figure out where it is was a pain,” explained a Service Superintendent of one energy company. 

Trying to get equipment from point A to point B can be increasingly difficult. All the manual work –making phone sales, and calling out to employees on sites can take a lot of time. Not to mention spending a lot of hours on the road, having to drive out to sites just to see if the equipment was there. It required a lot of manual tracking –including fuel, mileage, and time.

GPS tracking is a must-have for energy companies because they manage multiple sites at different locations–counting on many pieces of equipment and vehicles to keep their operations running.

A case example of energy companies

Unlike other energy companies that need third-party groups to do the extraction, one energy company we work with handles everything from punching a hole and pinning the ground, to manufacturing gas and getting the gas into the pipeline to sell. You can imagine what the company has to keep up with and keep track of. But GPS technology helps them manage every operation.

3 main benefits of GPS tracking technology for energy companies

1. Time savings

Most energy companies spend a lot of hours constantly chasing down assets manually. 

For example, finding where a particular piece of equipment is operating is challenging and takes a lot of time. And it quickly adds up–as employees make phone calls, manually oversee equipment on work sites, and commute to different locations to find assets and equipment, especially if the company operates in numerous locations. 

Using GPS technology is the only way to spend less time tracking down equipment. For instance, the EMP company mentioned above uses Spytec to hunt down their equipment, resulting in time saved.  

According to the company's service superintendent, this company has its own drilling rigs, hydraulic fracturing group, water transfer, flow back team, and more. Before implementing Spytec, the company used to spend a minimum of 6-12+ hours a week just hunting their equipment. 

“My guys have gotten to where they just get on the Spytec app or they'll get on the computer to see where things are,” explained the Service Superintendent.  “It really cut back on a lot of time we wasted trying to track stuff down all the time.”

Now, they use Spytec and only need about a minute or two to check equipment. The remaining time is used to work on the equipment or engage in something more productive. 

2. Complete visibility 

A GPS tracking system that offers continuous visibility of assets can empower you to quickly and easily discover how your company can fully utilize available assets. More importantly, it eliminates abuse and misuse of equipment, minimizes downtime, and promotes accountability.

“Having the insight and visibility to see which route my drivers are taking has been pretty valuable,” said the Service Superintendent. 

“Especially for the trips. We used Spytec after a recent rollover. I pulled up the application, and sure enough, it looked like our truck was just sitting on the side of the road and hadn't moved in a while, so we gave somebody a call to check it out. 

It's just really neat, and it sounds so simple, but just having that insight 24/7 whenever we need it helps us a lot.”

Tip: When looking for a GPS tracking system, consider a mobile app operation that tracks all your assets and alerts you when something is in a mess. The Spytec mobile app lets you track your assets anytime, anywhere.      

3. Increased efficiency

Many inefficiencies come from using manual and outdated asset tracking and monitoring methods. If you want to be more efficient, you must adopt a quick and modern tracking solution that helps you become better–and problem-solve. 

“I’d say efficiency is what we gain with Spytec,” said the Service Superintendent when discussing how Spytec has improved the company’s operational efficiency.  “I told a driver to take a certain route and after looking at the map and I noticed he was taking the wrong route, costing us an extra 30-60 minutes each way. If he would have taken the route provided, we would have saved time.”

For this particular energy company, implementing Spytec improved their overall tracking of fuel, time, and mileage. Now, since eliminating manual tracking, the company can easily track its vehicles, identify accidents, and track fleet routes. Having access to these insights 24/7 helps the company drastically. 

Improve Operational Efficiency For Your Energy Company With GPS Technology

GPS technology allows energy companies to gain time savings, better operational efficiencies, and complete visibility of their assets and equipment. 

Hardware and software matter and you must get the right tracking software that allows you to track your assets anywhere, anytime, and that's where we come in. 

 Learn more about how one of our energy company customers benefits from GPS technology here. 

For more information or to try Spytec for free, get in touch with us today. We’re happy to help.