RCM Mastery Drives Mexico's Gas Sector: WAL Engineering

Q: WAL Engineering specializes in predictive maintenance and related disciplines. How would you describe the role that it plays in Mexico’s oil and gas industry, and how has that role evolved over the years?

A: We operate across three main areas: asset management for reliability, technical services, and training. The company originated from my experience working in various firms that conducted reliability studies, particularly RCM. I believe in the methodology and its value, but I also noticed that all firms providing comprehensive RCM services in Mexico were foreign.

My first objective was therefore to establish the first Mexican company capable of delivering full RCM studies at the same level as firms in the United States and other countries. This meant taking complete ownership of each project, from studying the process and engineering to delivering a full diagnostic. It was a significant challenge, because it requires in depth involvement in the client’s process.

Based on my previous experience, I expanded our capabilities to include services such as vibration analysis and thermography, along with training programs in fields like tribology, bearings and lubrication. These are in high demand among mining and cement companies. Today, as far as I know, we remain the only Mexican company conducting complete RCM studies internally, from engineering to final deliverables. We also have an alliance with a Malaysian firm, founded by a former colleague, to support RBI services, which are essential for pipelines and pressure related elements in oil and gas.

Q: How has your experience been as a Mexican company working with PEMEX and with international operators active in the country? What differences or challenges have you faced?

A: Our direct work with PEMEX has been limited. Our primary focus has always been the private sector. The main challenge has been building trust. Large companies are accustomed to hiring foreign firms for these services, and earning their confidence has taken many years. It has taken us nearly 15 years to reach a point where clients not only trust us but choose us over other companies.

Another challenge, surprisingly, has been earning the confidence of Mexican professionals who were used to seeing foreign firms lead these studies. Overcoming that perception has been one of our most significant milestones.

Q: In recent years, how has industry activity shaped the demand for your services? How has this influenced your diversification, particularly into pipelines and the midstream segment?

A: We work across several industries, but within oil and gas our clients included firms with semisubmersible platforms, often through bureaus that later presented work to PEMEX. After 2016, due to changes in PEMEX’s operations and priorities, we shifted our focus toward the private sector.

Today, natural gas dominates our workload. It is the segment experiencing the most growth and the most urgent demand for reliability services. Our main client at the moment is Sempra Energy. We support them in gas transportation and now in liquefied natural gas, including one of their major LNG station projects. This shift has led us to concentrate heavily on the gas segment.

Q: You also work with the mining sector. What unique benefits do you bring to mining operations, considering the rigor of oil and gas standards?

A: Each industry presents different challenges and objectives, but high availability is essential in both oil and gas and mining. The difference is that mining involves extremely high risk when accessing equipment. You cannot afford component failures deep underground, nor can you perform frequent interventions.

Our differentiator is that we integrate strategy design, diagnostic services, and root cause analysis. Much of mining and cement production depends on rotating equipment: belts, bucket elevators, bearings, and other rotating systems are present throughout the process. Unlike gas, which relies more on turbines, valves and instrumentation, mining is almost entirely rotational.

Many companies can diagnose a problem but cannot provide a solution. We do both. We identify failures and guide the client on how to correct them. We have even conducted reengineering of large machinery in mining and cement operations to correct design flaws. In some cases this has meant demonstrating to foreign manufacturers that an original design must be corrected, something that requires technical rigor and persistence.

Q: What level of understanding do your clients have regarding monitoring and preventive culture?

A: These sectors generally have a high level of awareness. Mining, cement, energy, and oil and gas companies understand the importance of monitoring technologies and preventive practices. The challenge is often in the details and implementation. Because their processes are sensitive and interruptions are costly, they tend to be more conscious of the need for reliability tools and methodologies.

Q: How do you incorporate technology and innovation, and how aware are your clients of these advances?

A: Clients make extensive use of digitalization, although details are often sensitive because of information security. At the facility level, new plants require constant updating because instruments and equipment are evolving. Many devices now communicate wirelessly and perform automatic calibration, which changes the way we conduct analysis.

Within WAL Engineering, we are developing an artificial intelligence project for process modeling. We are still in an early stage, but progress has been encouraging. We are combining the experience of senior personnel with the perspectives of younger engineers to create useful tools. Artificial intelligence must be used carefully and intelligently. It should support repetitive tasks and assist in analysis, but it cannot replace technical judgment.

Q: In Mexico, legacy infrastructure, ambitious oil production goals, and budget limitations converge. How can RCM support companies in navigating this environment?

A: RCM is essential because it restructures maintenance strategies. It originated in the aviation industry, where consequences are high, and it focuses on ensuring that maintenance efforts are applied where they truly matter.

For any company, whether mature or newly established, the methodology helps determine whether current practices are appropriate. RCM improves reliability, reduces unnecessary costs and strengthens operational discipline. When implemented correctly, the return on investment generally appears in less than one year. That speed is particularly valuable in the current environment.

Q: Which recent projects or success stories would you highlight?

A: We have worked with Holcim for several years and achieved significant improvements. Some plants increased reliability by more than 40% and reduced maintenance costs by up to 35%. RCM evaluates safety, environmental impact, repair cost and production impact, which broadens the understanding of asset performance.

In the past three years, our largest projects have been with Sempra. While confidentiality limits the information we receive, the fact that they continue to assign new projects to us is a strong indicator of positive results.

Q: Looking ahead to 2026, what objectives or projects are you most focused on?

A: Our main objective is to grow within Mexico and begin exporting services. The original vision of the company was to prove that Mexican firms can deliver high level reliability work that historically came from abroad. Having achieved that, the next step is international expansion.

We are working with a Malaysian company that does not conduct RCM, with the goal of developing projects in Asia from Mexico. Achieving this requires increasing our engineering team and continuing to train new personnel. We are also completing our largest project to date with Sempra, which will continue into next year.

 

WAL Engineering focuses on Proactive Maintenance services, a maintenance strategy that aims to stabilize the reliability of equipment and/or machinery. It focuses primarily on corrective actions aimed at addressing the root cause of the problem, rather than simply treating the symptoms of failure, malfunctions, or wear and tear on the equipment or machinery.