One Unified Service Team Aids Attaining Goal

Intending to end subcontracted drilling, MFS Engineers & Surveyors launched in-house drilling five years ago. Then the driller left. The 7822DT they’d purchased sat dormant in their yard for two years.

Routine Maintenance

“When I was hired to slowly grow the drilling department, I suggested the 7822DT be inspected and serviced before it was brought out to the field,” Barry Elliott, driller, said.

This was his first encounter with the Geoprobe^® East Coast Service Center (ECSC). Elliot’s grandparents were mechanics – a machinist and a welder – who taught him to be meticulous.

“I treat the rig like I own it. I’ve also got the owner to agree to taking the rig in every six months for an inspection and service so it stays on point,” Elliott said. “You can’t let equipment fall apart. That’s how I make my money and how the company makes their money.”

Job Site Troubleshooting

Their projects are environmental and geotechnical sampling — primarily for schools, parks, and government housing. Elliott spent a month on night shift drilling along Fifth Avenue in New York City. He’s been to JFK for soil testing. However, 10 days on a hospital job in Long Island illustrated the full scope of Geoprobe^® service.

“Our starter went out, so I replaced it. A day and half later while blocking 12 surgeon parking spots, the rig wouldn’t start,” Elliott said. “I spent five to six hours on the phone over two days with Bryan and Dave to determine it wasn’t a starter issue, but rather a wireharness issue.”

Bryan Lorenson, rig specialist in Kansas, joined forces with Dave Harrison, service lead in Pennsylvania, to guide Elliott through some checks, which led them to diagnose wires touching or pinched somewhere in the wireharness.

“I spent four days trying to get it loaded on a trailer, only to be interrupted by surgeons needing to park every time I even got close,” Elliott said. “So I resorted to calling a tow company to haul it back to the ECSC.”

On-time Wireharness Replacement

While Elliott was working to get it back to the Geoprobe^® ECSC in Oxford, Pennsylvania, the service team worked to have parts on hand to repair the rig. This included another starter and a new wireharness manufactured by in-house electrical technicians at the Geoprobe^® manufacturing facility in Kansas.

“The service guys were slammed at the time, but Dave gave us a timeline of a week to replace the wireharness and it was done on time,” Elliott said.

Team Support to Achieve Goal

As one team, Geoprobe^® service helps him maintain his rig, provide parts, repair an electrical issue, answer questions, and ultimately achieve the purpose for which he was hired.

“When I needed parts while I was in Long Island, they sent them next day to my hotel. I’ve never had any trouble getting parts. If they’re not in-house in Oxford, Pennsylvania, they send them to us directly from Kansas. I always get a fast response and a correct answer,” Elliott said. “The Geoprobe^® machine we have and the service provided is dead on to help us make our marker of growing our drilling division.”