Diversification and Partnerships Allow for Better Services

Q: What makes Grupo Roales a unique company in the Mexican oil and gas industry?

A: Grupo Roales is a dynamic company, and as such we like challenges that require the diversification of our services. Diversifying our activities has allowed us to always have projects and therefore retain our highly capable workforce. While others have had to cut their staff levels we have managed to retain the same number of workers during the last three years.

We have always placed a big importance on certifying our activities, which has led us to be certified on ISO-9000, 45000, 18000 and even become the first company in the south-east region of Mexico certified in ISO-37001. Furthermore, we also follow NOM025 related to labor equity, and expect to be officially acknowledged as a socially responsible company. We are eager to follow international standards because we know that they will be required by all the new private players entering the country.

As more transparency is needed, the relevance of our compliance with the ISO-37001 certification is becoming more important, as international companies can place their trust in us as a company that works in a transparent way. The acts of corruption performed by one single company can affect the entire industry, and because of that we always place anticorruption practices at the forefront of all of our activities.

Q: When does Grupo Roales expect to start operations of its mud injection vessel?

A: This vessel is practically an offshore treatment plant for mud that is used during drilling operations, by having this plant onboard we avoid the need of transporting the mud back to land for its treatment, instead can treat the mud real quick so it can be re-injected in the well. The vessel is ready to offer its services, and we are now only waiting for the contracts to come. As 2018 was focused on exploration, we expect to sign contracts by mid-2019, when drilling and production activities ramp up in the country. Both PEMEX and the private operators entering the country have shown their interest in testing this service and including it into their operations. We are aware that new technologies take a long time to be introduced and that it is not easy to place them in the market and be disruptive, but the benefits of using the vessel are clear.

We are also open to developing new business models with the vessel, and perhaps even partnering with PEMEX to offer its usage as a specialized service to private operators, or partnering with private operators to offer its usage to PEMEX. In the end, the way the service is offered will be based on the way it can offer the highest added value to all stakeholders. In the future, we hope to take the vessel to the international arena. Doing so would make us extremely proud, because it would be a Mexican patent and technology reaching the global market for the benefit of the oil and gas industry.

Q: What other technical project highlights the technology and management skills in which Grupo Roales excels?

A: In the technical maintenance area we signed a contract with PEMEX to perform non-destructive tests to check the mechanical integrity of pipelines and other components subject to high pressures. The contract was interesting for us because it pushed us out of our comfort zone and made us create partnerships with several companies that are leaders in that niche but that lack the business integration knowledge in which we excel.

Q: What new business niche is Grupo Roales looking to develop during 2019?

A: We specialize in turnkey projects that require highly specialized knowledge and management skills to deliver integrated services from only one provider. We are a company that follows a young and fresh approach to all of its activities. We are humble enough to recognize when something is beyond our capabilities, and seek partnerships to be able to offer those services and strengthen our operations. In the end, our objective is to be aligned with the requirements of our clients, delivering the highest quality standards.

As more activities start taking place onshore, we want to prepare ourselves to become a highly-competitive player in that market. With a strong knowledge and experience in performing mechanical jobs offshore, we believe that we can also create a strong added value in onshore activities, especially taking into consideration the fact that offshore logistics are much more complicated than onshore. Grupo Roales is therefore looking forward to working on the new refinery project and on the Mayan train announced by the new administration. Both will be huge projects that require companies like Grupo Roales that have strong technical knowledge and know how to manage different teams that are highly specialized.

Q: What kind of non-technical projects is Grupo Roales working on for the benefit of the entire oil and gas industry?

A: In 2018 we signed a concession contract for 10 years with PEMEX to manage its training centers in Dos Bocas and Ciudad del Carmen. With this contract, we will be in the position of increasing the quality of the NOC’s trainings and providing its personnel with courses that introduce the best international standards so they can compete with international skilled labor. PEMEX signed this contract because it knows that it is necessary to be more competitive. Furthermore, under a concession scheme, other oil and gas companies will be allowed to send their workforce to take these courses, which will allow for more knowledge exchange that will help the industry grow. With this contract we expect to increase the competitiveness of not only PEMEX but the entire Mexican oil and gas industry.