Claxton has experienced extensive growth over the years in response to its clients’ needs, consistently striving to be better and to ‘make it happen’ across all aspects of its ever-diversifying service offering.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Its client-centred approach has bestowed Claxton with an enviable reputation in the industry for providing a robust suite of products and services including risers and tension systems, well decommissioning, and structures. Drawing upon the innovative team’s passionate approach to solving operational challenges, it is perfectly placed to deliver bespoke engineering problem solving solutions.
Andy Norman, Head of Brand and Marketing at Claxton explains: “The combination of our experience, coupled with in-house tailored engineering capabilities, not to mention our longstanding proven record of managing successful projects – has made Claxton the confident choice for companies.
“Our growing success stories in the sector are enabling us to provide solutions that often exceed those of much larger competitors.”
As part of the Acteon Global Group of companies, all of which work together across the ‘life of field’ around the world, Claxton offers a broad range of highly integrated services to meet the needs of global customers.
One of these services pertaining to Claxton’s reputation is the supply of subsea and surface riser systems of which they have been delivering for three decades, obtaining experience to set it apart in the industry.
“Our riser adaptor inventory extends to more than 1,000 metres of riser, 4,000 ancillary tooling items and a variety of different connection types,” Norman describes. “This includes full-bore API/NACE compliant subsea systems of up to 12,000 psi swp, which no other company in the market can offer.”
Its flexibility in the equipment available enables Claxton to consistently supply the most effective systems for any project.
“Some clients prefer holding their own equipment, therefore we offer a full integration strategy to provide design, manufacture, supplementary rental and project management services,” adds Norman. “This incorporates riser analysis and certification to the required specification, as well as a full after-market service to ensure the necessary maintenance.”
Claxton’s growing catalogue of success across the ‘life of field’, including being involved in many of the original drilling projects in the North Sea has also influenced its decommissioning arm of the portfolio.
Operators are now under increasing pressure to reduce costs and the focus on well and platform decommissioning is that much greater. However, the scale of cost reduction required means looking beyond immediate short-term efficiencies and thinking more strategically of ways to reduce costs in the long term.
Norman explains: “Decommissioning has become an integral part of the offshore industry over the past few years as operators seek to reduce their asset stock and remain profitable at the same time. Our turnkey decommissioning offering has helped support operators and projects around the world achieve their desired outcomes.”
Claxton’s decommissioning strategy means it can offer comprehensive decommissioning packages to their clients for Platform Wells (Rigless, Rig-based or combined ‘SIMOPS’), Subsea Wells, and Casing Recovery (Drilling Support Operations).
The third area of specialism for Claxton is structural asset life extension. The move towards life extension of an asset can help contribute to an increased oil and gas output and prosperity in a region. Claxton’s experience with structures means it can ‘take the pain away’ when it comes to structural and well conductor life extension issues. Whether it includes adding – or recovering – platform slots, replacing aged centralisers, or adding a complete retrofit conductor guide to significantly extend the life of your platform, Claxton will make it happen.
INVALUABLE INDUSTRY TOOL
Claxton’s enviable portfolio has been built up through work in 35 different countries across six continents, working from its offices in Great Yarmouth, Aberdeen, Norway and Dubai with a continually innovative drive for success.
In September 2016 Claxton successfully introduced the latest version of its SABRE™ abrasive cutting system, increasing both efficiency and flexibility in decommissioning and late life projects; offering an example of the Company’s insistence to keep innovating and to keep expanding its offering across this portfolio.
“We first developed SABRE™ in 1999, and it quickly proved to be an invaluable industry tool that has gone on to be used in some of the world’s most significant abandonment campaigns,” continues Norman. “With its abrasive jet that exits the tool at transonic speeds, light work is made of even composite materials such as cemented casings. The ability to perform this type of abrasive work from a jack-up boat removes the need to mobilise a rig and use mechanical cutting techniques – subsequently this also reduces costs for the client.”
The 2016 version is fully NORSOK Z-015 compliant, with a smaller system footprint and modular design – making it more adaptable to a wider range of applications – minimising the complexity.
In other recent developments for the Company and its system offerings, the launch of Claxton’s WellRaizerTM – designed to recover oil & gas conductors and casings from offshore installations without the use of a jack-up rig – is very exciting for the industry.
“The Norwegian Continental Shelf saw the maiden voyage of WellRaizerTM, as part of Claxton’s designed, engineered and developed innovative 300Te recovery system,” elaborates Norman. “The system provides lifting capacity that is provided by hydraulic cylinders with a dedicated hydraulic power unit. The unit also comprises both a static and travelling elevator, which grip the tubular sections via two powered slip packages.”
WellRaizerTM perfectly demonstrates Claxton’s drive to produce exciting and innovative products which will enhance not just the Company, but its environment impact and indeed the wider industry as a whole.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
The people behind the Company are what make it so unique in its service offering, a prime example being Laura Claxton the Managing Director of Claxton, who was shortlisted for the prestigious Woman of the Year Award in 2015. Her drive to see the industry thrive and develop through the people working at Claxton makes for a very promising future for the Company and its people.
At the forefront of business improvement, Claxton are committed to safety excellence. Supported by the Company’s overall integrated management system (IMS) this has enabled them to achieve four years without a single lost-time incident (LTI).
“Within our Management system and in all aspects of our business, we are dedicated to protecting the environment from avoidable harm,” Norman clarifies. “Our current business activities and the status of our business development also constitute a limited environmental impact, which is yet another target that we are incredibly proud to have reached.”
A perfect example of this commitment is Claxton’s aforementioned pioneering decommissioning tool, SABRETM. The tool uses an environmentally sound mixture of air, water and naturally occurring mineral cutting mediums which can cut the conductors abrasively and replace the environmentally damaging explosive severance methods with a clean and safe alternative.
Norman adds: “Ultimately producing consistently good quality revolves around providing attention to detail and good communication, two aspects in which our clients regularly tell us we excel at.”
RESPONSIVE SERVICE, PROVEN CAPABILITY
Claxton’s overriding philosophy relates to the responsive and practical service it has become so well known for within the industry, two facets of the business that will always be at the heart of its approach to achieving quality management.
It is clear to see the success of this in the form of both fast response and clear communication of client’s objectives and requirements, complemented by products of equally appropriate high quality, reliability, safety and cost effectiveness.
“Continuing attempts to understand our industry’s changing landscape, while also interpreting our clients’ needs in order to expand our technology, products and service offering is an incredibly difficult task, particularly over the widespread footprint that Claxton services,” explains Norman. “It comes down to the underlying ‘core’ of our brand and business, instilling total confidence in our customers.”
This is of course a major driving force in the Company and the basis behind everything that it both says and does to support the core values. In turn, its staff are incredibly responsive in instilling this trust.
Norman continues: “We are incredibly committed to affirming the message that Claxton cares as much about your project as you do, through our responsive service, applied innovation and proven capability.”
Moving forward the Company will continue to work with a willingness and ability to be nimble and mobilise its workforce quickly, maintaining the feel of a family business that it has worked hard to maintain. Of course, understanding the challenges faced by customers is a perfected additional skill that Claxton will always strive to achieve through its flexible approach, its desire to find the solution for its client’s challenges and commitment to never compromise on quality.
“Ultimately it boils down to the fact that we are a service Company, and our main goal is to continue to increase the recognition of our brand, instilling in our clients that they know what they will get every time; a responsive, technically superior and quality service, always,” concludes Norman. “We also want to target international growth as we continue to grow, firmly establishing ourselves as a respected Company in the oil & gas industry, that people want to be a part of.”
