Ulterra’s team of shop and maintenance technicians have always been at the heart of their safety success at their manufacturing facility in Leduc, Canada. Unique in their versatility and tribal knowledge, they’re a small team of long-standing Ulterra employees equipped to handle it all.
For five continuous years, Ulterra’s Leduc manufacturing team has carried out their operations at the safest level – carrying on with no recordable incidents despite manufacturing expansion and external hardships.
“Ulterra has always found ways to win despite challenges placed in front of us. 2019 saw a new product line and a new plant introduced to Leduc. 2020 has shown us another downturn and a global pandemic, yet we remain focused and continue forward recordable injury-free.”
–Bryce Cook, HSSE Manager
In 2019, Ulterra’s team cut the teal ribbon, opening the doors to the only matrix PDC bit manufacturing facility in Canada, or as they call it, “Plant 2.” Soon after, Ulterra manufactured their first matrix PDC bit in Plant 2 and had it successfully delivered to a customer drilling in Canada. By acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to start manufacturing the new product, the shop was in full operation while their people preserved the same level of safety as the adjacent Plant 1.
Fast forward to 2020, the team continues to adapt to changing operations caused by the two external factors that are felt by the industry, companies, and individuals on a global scale.
Adjusting during a Global Pandemic
At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Ulterra revamped their plant operations to achieve social distancing and proper sanitation. The manufacturing team transitioned to 8-hour shifts to ensure there’s no overlap in person-to-person contact. In addition, the team created extra space in Plant 2 to reduce the concentration of employees in Plant 1. Meanwhile, supervisors have stepped up to the plate to perform a full sanitation routine completed in lunchrooms and high contact areas during the transition of shifts. The team remains healthy, incident-free, and continues to work through COVID-19.
Adapting with the Industry
The current industry downturn has affected every person employed in oil and gas, causing a direct impact on organizational size and structure. Ulterra’s people are equipped to fill multiple roles to keep operations running smoothly despite working with less. Ulterra’s competent team has been cross-trained in multiple positions, in addition to working together to create mentorships amongst veteran and new employees. By looking at the overlapping of responsibilities and competencies, Ulterra’s management and leadership teams have fostered a workforce of versatile employees.
While remaining recordable incident-free for the past five years, Ulterra’s team has built over 5,000 new drill bits and have repaired nearly 14,000 drill bits in Canada alone.
“The team in Leduc takes great pride and ownership over their safety. Their safety record is a testament to being able to meet demand while producing a great product all while keeping everyone safe.”
-Mike Yetto, Director of HSSE & Training
In addition to leading remarkable safety success over the years, Ulterra’s people have achieved tremendous success in terms of engineering, manufacturing, repair, and customer support and speed, globally. The team remains agile and prepared to take on all changes in market and health conditions and when it matters most, Ulterra’s team remains healthy and operations remain safe.