Targeting high-volume, low-cost production

The Energy Year talks to Ali Alrubaye, General Manager for Champion Arabia Limited (CAL) and SLB Production Chemical Technologies District Manager, Saudi Arabia, about introducing advanced chemical solutions to Saudi Arabia and supporting projects to increase the country’s gas production.  

SLB is a global technology company driving energy innovation for a balanced planet. Their Production Systems expertise, innovative products, and digital technologies provide enhanced oil and gas production, transportation, and real-time emissions monitoring throughout the lifecycle of a well. 

Can you provide an overview of your business in Saudi Arabia? 

SLB, through CAL, have been present in Saudi Arabia since the 1980s, supporting the development of oil and gas fields with technologies and specialty chemical products. We have a blending plant in Dammam, and we maintain a delivery fleet to transport products to oil and gas fields across Saudi Arabia. 

We are always focused on developing new chemical solutions and technologies to help increase and sustain oil and gas production in Saudi Arabia, leveraging our global reach, technical expertise, strong supply chain and innovative technologies. 

How do you ensure your chemical technologies are optimally suited to the needs of your customers? 

With every project, whether it is in an unconventional, conventional, offshore or onshore field, we follow our proprietary, systematic operational assurance process, called PROactTM, to understand a customer’s goals and strategies, as well as design and deliver solutions precisely tailored to the project’s objectives. 

In recent years, we developed and introduced several advanced chemical technologies, including solutions for asset integrity, phase separation, and flow assurance. These innovations helped our customers extract more oil, sustain production, and reduce operational costs. 

We also leverage our global network, drawing on the expertise of our teams in North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. By collaborating with SLB’s other regions and functions – marketing and R&D, for example – we bring the best solutions to Saudi Arabia. 

The growth CAL has experienced in Saudi Arabia is a result of the market’s evolving needs and our alignment with the Kingdom’s growth objectives. Both have been critical for our business’ expansion and our customers’ success.  

What are some of your unique selling points? 

At SLB, we strive to improve the lives of our customers, employees, and stakeholders. Our employees understand our purpose and the reasons why we do what we do, and that fuels their passion and commitment. Another key differentiator is that our four main divisions –chemical technologies, production and automation technologies, drilling and completions, and emissions control – complement each other. We are better together and work to offer a unified solution to our customers. 

Our global reach offers another advantage, as we call on our collective experience in oil and gas fields across the world. We also leverage the global footprint of our manufacturing plants and robust supply chain to ensure the continuity of supply of our products to our customers in Saudi Arabia to meet the demand of the market.   

 We invest heavily in our people, developing technical expertise and soft skills in our teams to ensure they can effectively serve customers and address challenges. 

What are some ways in which your products support Saudi Arabia’s sustainability initiatives? 

We have developed technologies that improve the sustainability of oil and gas operations, such as multi-functional products that replace multiple individual formulations with a single, targeted blend of highly effective chemicals. These multi-functional solutions can reduce the number of chemical tanks required to manage risk and effectively treat our customers’ assets, which can also simplify the manufacturing and delivery processes, translating into higher efficiency and lower emissions. 

We have provided customised products that support the gas and condensate production at Jafurah, helping Saudi Arabia reach its 2030 gas output targets, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. 

What is your vision for CAL within the ongoing development dynamics in Saudi Arabia?  

Our vision is focused on growth. CAL intends to expand in line with Saudi Arabia’s priorities in the oil and gas sector of the Vision 2030. Our intent is to drive investments in our manufacturing capabilities, blending facilities and analytical laboratory. We are also allocating resources to develop the talent of our employees in the Kingdom and increase Saudization. In the next five years, we anticipate growing in the Kingdom through the supply of our chemical solutions to multiple oil and gas projects, and we will be making investments to support their requirements and our growth strategy.