Tim Nesler, president/CEO of Dimension Energy Services.
Despite being a multi-faceted company, Tim Nesler, Dimension Energy Services president and CEO summed up what his company does rather easily.
“Dimension Energy Services constructs and maintains pipeline and facility assets for the energy industry,” he said.
How Dimension Energy does that takes a little more explanation. It offers a broad range of services such as pipeline and facilities construction, operations and maintenance, integrity management, pipeline rehabilitation and project management. As a result, the Sugarland, Texas-based company's client list includes pipeline owners and operators, major integrated energy companies, independent oil and gas exploration and production companies, petrochemical producers and power generators.
Dimension Energy participates in every segment of the oil and gas sector — upstream, midstream and downstream — and it provides a comprehensive list of services in each category. Its upstream operations include capabilities and services related to exploration and production — including storage, measurement, treating and separating, and transportation. The midstream sector provides similar services as they relate to engineering, pipelines and maintenance, with the addition of gathering.
Downstream operations consist of crude oil refining, chemical plants, gas processing, storage, fuel delivery systems to power generation plants, transportation and distribution. Services offered in the downstream phase include engineering, construction and maintenance.
Divisions Focused
on Pipe Installation
In addition to Nesler, Dimension's leadership team consists of Sumner (Buzz) White, executive vice president of development and technical services; Glenn Schaefer, senior vice president of operations; and Robert Britt, controller. They oversee a staff of up to 500 people.
Dimension Energy covers a five-state territory that includes Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The company is split into three divisions: Gulf Coast, Permian Basin and Anadarko. The Gulf Coast Division primarily focuses on maintenance and capital expense projects for petrochemical plants and refineries in southern Texas and Louisiana.
The Permian Basin Division covers West Texas and New Mexico, and the Anadarko Division services the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma. The Anadarko Division came online a few years ago, with the acquisition of Dimension Pipelines in Wheeler, Texas. Mike O'Gorman, general manager and Mark Burrell, general superintendent oversee the division. Their counterparts in the Permian Basin Division are Manoel Urquidi and Jeff King.
“The majority of our work involves complete installation of oil and gas pipeline, as well as a growing maintenance component,” said O'Gorman. “We handle everything — surveying, right-of-way clearing, putting up fence, cutting ditch, laying the pipe and covering it up.”
King said the Permian Basin Division's focus mirrors Anadarko.
“The biggest difference between the two divisions is that our projects are done in different conditions and terrain. We have a lot more rock and sand, which requires using a rock trencher and hammers on our equipment. Anadarko tends to run in flatter ground and more typical soil conditions. Both divisions have the expertise to lay practically any size of pipe, no matter the conditions, and finish projects on schedule.”
Outstanding Safety Record
Dimension Energy's record of finishing jobs on time or ahead of schedule has helped the company gain a solid reputation and a list of repeat customers, according to Nesler. He noted that reliable project delivery isn't the only reason they call Dimension Energy back time and time again.
“Customers know we'll meet their deadlines, and they like that we offer such a long list of services; it gives them one company to work with for a wide range of needs,” said Nesler. “More importantly, they appreciate that we get their jobs done safely. Our customers place a heavy emphasis on that, and we do, too. Our employees understand that they have responsibilities to themselves and their peers. Because of that, our safety record is outstanding.”
Large Package of Komatsu Equipment
To dig and lay pipe, the Permian Basin and Anadarko divisions rely on 10 Komatsu excavators — eight PC210LC-10s and two PC240LC-10s. Backfilling and grading is largely done with four Komatsu D65EX-17 dozers. Dimension Energy Services recently added the Tier IV machines in a package it put together with Brady McAlister, territory manager of Kirby-Smith Machinery.
“A group of us sat down and discussed how to improve our fleet, and several factors came into play,” said Nesler. “Chief among them was dealer support. We were dealing with a competing distributor, and we felt the service could have been better. Price was also important, but more so were production, efficiency and environmental sensitivity. Kirby-Smith and Komatsu checked all of our boxes.”
Dimension Energy split the machinery equally between the Anadarko and Permian Basin Divisions.
“We typically install pipe four feet deep, so the PC210s are the perfect size,” said Burrell. “They are faster than the equivalent competitive brand we were running. We got the PC240s for the extra reach and horsepower we occasionally need. Both sizes give us good versatility because we can put different-sized buckets on them, as well as pipe cradles and hammers.”
“They have excellent hydraulic power to run attachments, and stand up to the challenging conditions we face,” added King. “The rocky, sandy soils we encounter in the Permian Basin can tax a machine, but across the board, the Komatsus perform day in and day out, without costing us major downtime.”
About the only time Dimension Energy's Komatsu equipment requires Kirby-Smith Machinery technicians is during routine service under the Komatsu CARE program, which is complimentary on the Tier IV machines for the first 2,000 hours or three years.
“That allows us to concentrate on production and keep our owning and operating costs down,” stated O'Gorman. “We like that Kirby-Smith monitors our equipment. When a machine needs service, Kirby-Smith sends a technician to take care of it on site, at a time that's convenient for us. We also track the machines' hours, locations and other information through KOMTRAX, Komatsu's remote monitoring system.”
King added, “We're very pleased with the Komatsu equipment, and we especially appreciate how well Brady and Kirby-Smith take care of us. They respond right away if we need a rental piece or anything else.”
Assessing Current Markets
Like nearly everyone in the oil and gas industry, Dimension Energy has been affected by the recent downturn in the markets. Nesler noted that there have always been, and always will be, market fluctuations. He says it's how you react that matters.
“Everyone in this industry knows there are ups and downs, and we have enough experience to know how to weather current market conditions,” Nesler said. “We're focused on looking at projects and opportunities that really help foster the longevity of the company.”
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