Factory Refurbished Rig Offsets Costs of Labor, Downtime

Discovery Drilling, based in Anchorage, Alaska, operates a fleet of six 6712DT machines among several other Geoprobe^® rigs. With the 6712DTs being their main machine for remote jobs, they take a heavy amount of damage beyond the basic wear-and-tear of fieldwork due to extensive transportation, extreme environments, and more.

“It had been a serious challenge for our mechanics and welding/fabrication staff to keep up with the abuse our Geoprobe^® 6712DTs were enduring,” DJ Wardwell, manager, said. “Keeter [Brown, Discovery Drilling president] and I decided, despite Kansas being approximately 2,500 miles from our home base, that we would begin to cycle our 6712DTs, one at a time, through the Geoprobe^® Kansas Service Center for full refurbishments.”

Value of Rig Being Factory Refurbished

They sent their 6712DT that had suffered the most damage to be the first factory refurbished rig. Both he and Brown were pleasantly surprised by how fast and cost-efficient the process was compared to their initial expectations.

“Frankly, the machine was in such bad shape from the abuse it had endured, we were almost embarrassed to send it,” Wardwell said. “I still remember the look on Keeter’s face when the machine showed back up in Anchorage, and I am sure my expression was similar. We simply couldn’t believe it was the same machine that we originally sent. It was essentially brand new.”

Structural damage, hydraulic and electrical system repairs, and even decals and paint were completely overhauled to look brand new. Seeing how their first rig ended up after being factory refurbished, they knew they had to continue sending the rest of their fleet through the Kansas Service Center.

“It has relieved a massive burden from our mechanics, welders, and fabricators, and offset the cost of being factory refurbished in our labor hours and reduced downtime in the field,” Wardwell said. "Not to mention that our clients always have a better initial impression when we show up with a 'new' machine, even though it has logged thousands of hours of work. We encourage everyone with a machine that needs a little love to look into Geoprobe^® refurbishment service.”