Introducing Pontem Energy
Where it all began and where it begins again
How did we get here?
I can still remember the project I was working on where it finally clicked for me back in 2018…
I was carrying out an operational assessment, looking at years of historical field data, combining it with model predictions, and overlaying everything with daily operations and chemical injection reports, all in an attempt to determine the causes of occasional erratic pressure behavior on a subsea valve.
The task I was doing couldn’t be found anywhere in my job role, which mentioned something along the lines of “engineer to carry out simulations and write technical reports,” but it was something I seemed to be doing much more often.
What clicked for me in that moment - and what I realized I was really doing - was the early stages of the idea that Pontem Analytics is founded on: the best solutions to the most complicated problems can only emerge through the combination of data and discipline.
Ultimately we figured out that problem for our client and were able to propose a successful solution, but the “a-ha moment” was realizing that without BOTH deep domain knowledge on the topic, as well as a deep understanding of how to analyze data, I would have never reached that outcome.
Truly this was the start of a new and very different thing. At the time it felt like we were on to something. Looking back, I know we were and this is why we’ve started Pontem Energy.
What does the energy industry need?
The above example was just one of many I had started accumulating and was doing regularly by that point. My new job posting, if I had to write one myself, would have said “Engineer and data scientist needed to combine state-of-the-art modeling with data analysis to solve complex problems, write technical reports, deploy interactive web applications, and build standalone software utilities for the energy industry.”
Clearly that is quite the mouthful, but the reason I was doing these things repeatedly wasn’t because we found the handful of unique clients in the entire industry that happened to have unusual needs. It was something much bigger, spanning multiple disciplines (and often multiple AFE’s). These were samples from a much larger population that pointed to the fact that traditional roles and skill sets that oil and gas professionals used to fill, couldn’t adequately describe what they truly needed or what the “problems” to solve really consisted of. Yes, engineering and design is still foundational, but there is an additional skillset required for certain projects that wasn’t being met.
The energy industry of today is very different from even 10 to 20 years ago. International competition, needs to cut cost, and a growing pressure to reduce environmental issues have pushed operators to do more with less. Much more. To try and achieve this, they need these wide-ranging skillsets that can leverage foundational knowledge with the latest and greatest technologies.
As an answer to this need back then, we unconsciously evolved our offerings, but now we recognize those needs more formally and have structured Pontem Energy around them.
How is Pontem Energy different?
“Better is not a differentiator”
This message has been drilled into me for years now by my mentors (all thanks to Shark Tank), but I can’t disagree with it. Simply saying you are “better” doesn’t tell someone a reason they should use you. Instead, at Pontem Energy, we prefer to focus on our capabilities and our values to say why we are different.
As anyone in this industry knows, you won’t get very far without knowing what you’re doing. At Pontem Energy, we have decades of combined experience to recognize what will work and what should be avoided. We have extensive understanding of the vast array of modeling software required for many types of work. Finally, where we are truly unique is by utilizing data as a core competency. We believe this unlocks the next level of insight others are missing.
In our work, we are driven by a passion and curiosity that embraces challenges and seeks to find innovative solutions to address them. However, all of this is for nothing without the core relationships we build with our clients. The best complement we can receive, and one we frequently do, is being mentioned as “part of the team”.
Final Thoughts
Our roots have always been in the energy industry. It’s an industry we are proud to be involved in. The combination of technical excellence, wide array of different expertises, and down-to-earth good people is something you cannot easily find across large industries and one of the many reasons we enjoy working in this one.
Today we are excited to be announcing Pontem Energy as a subsidiary of Pontem Analytics. Pontem Energy will carry the same overarching Pontem ethos of combining data and discipline while continuing to solve the biggest problems out there for our customers in the Energy industry, just as we seemingly always have.
Be sure to check out our accompanying case study to this introduction piece below as well as our brand new website.
www.pontemanalytics.com/energy
