Long-Term Commitment Marks Pietro Fiorentini’s Mexican Outlook

Q: Where does Pietro Fiortentini see most of its activity in Mexico this year?

A: Pietro Fiorentini has a worldwide presence along the entire oil and gas value chain and energy sector, predominately specializing in technology solutions for gas, from the wellhead to the domestic user. We are also very active on renewable energies and the digitalization of smart grids.

We began in Mexico in the upstream market, providing multiphase measurement services at oil and gas wellheads, but we are also very active in the country in gas transmission and power generation, providing gas treatment and conditioning plants. We have a local base in Villahermosa, Tabasco, that allowed us to progress toward our local for local worldwide philosophy: get closer to our target markets reinforcing the intimacy with our customers.

Our multiphase metering services are, of course, clearly linked to oil prices and production. Our service is pure OPEX for clients, as we provide full integrated services (there is no CAPEX involved for them). In Mexico, we are currently supplying gas conditioning plants and equipment produced outside the country, but we are looking to establish relationships with local manufacturers. Additionally, we are willing to enlarge our product and service range, bringing our worldwide experience in all Mexican energy sectors.

Q: How will Pietro Fiorentini continue to deliver affordable multiphase metering in this new lower-cost environment?

A: Because Pietro Fiorentini does almost everything internally – from R&D to design, from production to service – therefore we only have internal costs to consider and we can optimize our service on a worldwide scale. The synergies at group level allow us to optimize our delivery and our service level without jeopardizing quality, combining the local presence with a worldwide vision. We are constantly investing in new products, technologies and applications with our internal R&D department, which is working in collaboration with several Universities and external R&D centers. Our lean culture focuses on the continuous improvement of our processes and the elimination of waste, also allowing to reduce the cost of production and service.

Q: What technologies is the company applying to its processes and products?

A: Pietro Fiortentini already applies many innovative technologies and will continue to improve them, both in products and services and in our internal processes as part of the Digital Transformation. We produce intelligent equipment, such as Smart Gas Meter, and we are developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning algorithms for Multiphase Flow Meters and other devices, to make them smarter, able to detect anomalies, check coherence and provide useful analysis and alerts to the operators. We recently present the new generation of gas meter that, tanks to additional sensors and algorithms, offers advanced safety functions: it is capable to detect multiple anomalies, such as gas leakage or tremors caused by earthquakes, and can interrupt the gas supply improving safety. In our processes, we recently introduced devices to perform real time remote inspections, allowing us to improve productivity, reduce travels and consequent carbon emission. The use of the remote inspection devices was even more important during the peak phases of the recent pandemic, when it was impossible to travel, and it was mandatory to guarantee social distancing.

Q: Considering COVID-19’s effects, what are the company’s goals in Mexico this year?

A: From a practical point of view, this is a worldwide pandemic and we must make the safety of our employees our No. 1 priority. Our headquarters are in Italy, where the virus struck hard, and we also have a production plant in China, where the virus first came out. We have faced the challenge head on, learned from these experiences and then applying successfully the same rigorous safety protocols to all our facilities.

After safety, we must guarantee business continuity, to make our employees sure that they will have a future in the company. We therefore need to cut any additional expenses and optimize even more our processes, partly because of the additional cost that safety entails.

Anyway, we are now living in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment and from a business perspective it is very important to be resilient and fast in taking decision. Any new investment should be carefully evaluated not only with a short-term vision, but also with a long-term mindset as part of a global strategic vision. But despite this pandemic, that for sure will have significant global effects, we are willing to invest in the future, including in Mexico where we still see important prospective and opportunities.  

Pietro Fiorentini is a leader in the development and commercialization of advanced-technology products and services for the oil and gas sector from the wellhead to the domestic user.