Meet The Inventor:
Fred Newman

Key Energy Services is implementing data gathering equipment on their well servicing rigs - providing information that previously had not been available. The inspiration for this innovation is Fred Newman.

Prior to joining Key, Fred was running his own company along side with his two sons and his daughter. The idea of capturing information at the well site was originally thought to be a good management tool. As an avid pilot and owner of a plane - Fred had a vision of putting a pilot's "Black Box" on the rig to enable the re-creation of what activity took place. This would also provide opportunities to capture good practices and impact the way activity at the well site took place.

By 1998, there were boxes placed on the rigs that Fred and his family business operated, and the information gathered was impressive. It wasn't long before a large producer saw what was happening on the rigs that Fred was running - and this producer company took the initiative to order a few for their own rigs.

Once the producer placed the order, Fred spun his rig box into a separate business called Unitrak (Unit Tracking). In 2001 Key acquired Unitrak and Fred has been an integral part of the Key Energy team since.

Today, Key is leveraging the expertise of Fred Newman with its own version of a computerized tracking system for rigs. What started as a vision in Fred's mind and built in his garage has grown into a full fledged engineering system for measuring mechanical data and capturing activity and work flow.

"Our first box had a cardboard housing, just to keep the sun and sand off the wires," said Fred. "We built the box in my back yard - and tested it rigorously in the field." Today the Key Computerized Rig Data gathering system incorporates the most sophisticated equipment to ensure accuracy and reliability of data in even the toughest of environments.

Key is leading the well servicing industry in terms of technology, and it has taken the opportunity to learn from Fred on how to make the technology initiatives successful and deliver greater value to Key's customers.

"The oil business has been wonderful to me and my family, and I hope that I have made some contributions back, and I'll continue to contribute," said Mr. Newman.

The computerized gathering of data on the rigs will change the way Key operates. Today, Key is utilizing systems in the Permian Basin and in California. We are seeing the value that accurate and impartial data can deliver to our customers.

Innovative leaders like Fred Newman are helping Key to unlock its potential - and in turn deliver more value to our customers.