What I Learned at OTC That Surprised Even Me

The oilpatch is hurting and it's getting worse. People are losing jobs, companies are going broke, shareholders are getting flayed. At the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston last week, a lot of sales executives were standing in their booths wringing their hands. But not all of them. Some remain optimistic that the downturn will reverse and good times will return. That's logical, right? Every downturn that's ever happened has eventually ended.

When there's no crowd, it's easy to talk to exhibitors.

I've walked OTC a number of times. The whole gigantic spectacle makes this bumpkin stand there wide-eyed and say "gol-dang!" But the most overwhelming aspect in years past has been the fact that when I've tried to talk to exhibitors, the teeming crowds have swept me down the aisle like a raging river. Not this year. There were times when I could have fired a cannon through the exhibit hall and not hit anyone. But as it turns out, that wasn't a bad thing, for me at least. Despite the fact that I wasn't there to buy the expensive goodies they were selling, the exhibitors were more than willing to talk — and to listen. Turns out, weathering the storm is important to everyone, and leveraging the storm to emerge bigger and better is important to some.

Innovators thrive in hard times.

There have been a number of studies that show companies that start up during hard times, or that increase marketing and R&D investment in downturns tend to emerge with larger shares of their markets. Some folks I met seemed to know that. While one major manufacturer of pumps, for example, is closing up shop and moving out of Houston, I met another one that is seizing the opportunity to fill the void by opening a Houston facility and introducing a competitive line that offers some bells and whistles the other guys don't.

Technology is flippin' amazing.

As a non-techie who can barely change a tire, I'm naturally awed by complicated doo-dads. I don't have a "been there, done that" attitude about the incredible engineering and the jaw-dropping accomplishments that make it possible to go to the bottom of the ocean, dig a really deep hole in the ground and suck out oil. To me, that whole business will always be mind-boggling. So I was amazed by the technologies I saw. I was also concerned. We all enjoy the fruits of the oil industry (that is, the oil and gas and chemicals it provides us) in ways most of us never even think about. But behind the scenes, the technologies being developed to get at the oil are fueling enormous advances that lap over into other arenas. Advances in robotics, metallurgy, information processing, engineering and manufacturing fuel innovation across all sorts of industries and provide untold spin-off technologies to improve our quality of life. If the oil business goes away, we're screwed. We won't end up with a greener, cleaner planet. We'll end up in chaos and misery.

Oilfields have DNA. Who knew?

I found out there are new companies starting up that can stick their finger in a well, scoop out some goo, analyze the DNA of the microorganisms living in it, and create a "fingerprint" that tells the well owners all sorts of things they would otherwise spend a lot more money to learn. This technology discipline is called microbially-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). It can tell if two wells are drinking from the same reservoir. It can improve recoverability in certain difficult environments. It can identify and help propagate the best bacteria to put to work remediating offshore spills. MEOR is still in its infancy, but the mere fact it exists as an increasingly viable option is an indicator of the enormous potential DNA research has to change the world. This is just one example of innovation in the oilpatch that stands to redefine our whole understanding of technology.

Digital is huge and getting HUGER.

Or in the words of one of a certain presidential candidate, it's YUGE. The world is on the verge of a sea change that will make the Industrial Revolution look like a minor blip in the development of civilization. It's fun to ponder the exotic applications of digital technology, but real change is driven by practical market drivers. Right now, the OFSE industry is looking for ways to lower costs and improve outcomes. I'm finding inspiration in helping develop custom business process applications that cut labor and operating costs and extract previously unavailable value from all sorts of data sets. Or giving industry mobile tools that empower their people to do more for less money. Or connecting internal operations with outward-facing customer service delivery tools via the web.

As the oilfield responds to crisis and evolves to meet technical, market and geopolitical challenges, I am constantly amazed at the opportunities I have to help the world spin.

Please feel free to connect with me and share this article with your peers.

Tim Johnson is head of marketing and creative direction at Espresso Moon, a Houston-based provider of custom software solutions, mobile business apps and responsive, responsible web presence, dedicated to helping forward-thinking organizations define the digital future.