Schramm Introduces New Drill
Portfolio Company News - March 23, 2013
NEWS
By BILL RETTEW JR.
Journal Register News Service
A state-of-the-art drilling rig, made primarily for oil and gas drilling in the Marcellus and Utica Shale areas, was designed and constructed by Schramm Inc., a 113-year old company based on the outskirts of West Chester.
The 102-foot-tall rig, when fully extended, comes with a $7.65 million price tag. The first T500XD Telemast drill rig was recently sold and will be shipped within a month from Schramm's Virginia Avenue, 14 building, 27-acre property.
Not only is the rig so big that it's visible from nearby Henderson High School, but it also "talks" and "walks."
Fred Slack, vice president for business development, said the equipment is "designed to walk on a pad site with a full 360 degree motion." Slack said that four hydraulically operated feet will move the apparatus into position, drilling to a depth of 15,000 feet.
Slack also said the rig "talks by offering full communication interface connectivity to third party data acquisition" when using the Internet or dedicated satellite communication systems. It has 500,000 pounds of drilling power or hoist capacity.
"We are the only company in the state of Pennsylvania to make a rig of this capacity and technology," the vice president said.
Steve Hanley, a service technician who has been on the job at Schramm for 39 years, is referred to by his co-workers as "The Schramm-Man." He said that rigs built by Schramm when he started working for the company almost four decades ago had the capacity of just 42,000 pounds, or less than a tenth of Schramm's newest rig.
"I never dreamed that we'd build something this big," Hanley said. "I can't describe 500,000 pounds of pull to people."
Slack said the rig is "bigger, better, faster, greener and safer" than previous drills. He also said the rig is special since only three employees are required to operate it, rather than six needed for similar structures.
The rig also rides from location to location on just eight trucks, less than half the number used by similar devices, saving wear and tear on roadways. It also can be erected without use of a crane.
"It's less disruptive to the environment," said Slack. "It's highly portable, it goes into production, does its job and then moves on to the next hole."
Slack said Schramm has the capacity to make up to 200 drill rigs per year and can make 10 per year of the company's newest model, which took two years to develop.
While 75 percent of the company's revenues are derived from export sales and field service support in more than 80 countries, Schramm grabbed international headlines when drills made in Chester County were used to free 33 miners in a 2010 Chilean mine accident.