OE’s Audrey Leon spoke with Cyril Petit, Serimax’s regional manager, Central and North America, about the opening of Mexico’s oil and gas industry and what effects it will have on the company and region at large.
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Serimax’s Saturnax 09 technology welding root pass. Image from Serimax. |
OE: Serimax works predominately with pipeline welding, can you discuss what the opening of Mexico’s industry, particular the pipeline sector means to Serimax?
Cyril Petit: Mexico is currently the third largest supplier of crude oil to the US. For the past 10 years, the consumption of oil in Mexico has been fairly stable while the production has been consistently declining. This situation creates a dip in exports to maintain Mexico’s self-sufficiency on oil. In parallel the demand for energy keeps on rising over the same period of time to sustain Mexico’s durable development. The gap is closed with an ever increasing consumption of natural gas even though its production has been plateauing over the past seven years calling for more natural gas import from the US.
The increased demand for energy combined with the opening to private investment will create opportunities for Serimax to support the development of the pipeline infrastructure both on- and offshore. Serimax already works with numerous customers in Mexico and we are engaged on various projects as part of the development of the pipeline sector and we look forward to supporting this effort.
OE: What kinds of projects is Serimax currently involved in, or looking to get involved in?
Cyril Petit: Serimax is involved in multiple offshore oil pipelines projects. The operations are taking place offshore onboard our customers’ laying vessels and we are also working with local partners to support welders training and qualifications onshore. We are expanding our reach to the cross country pipelines and we should be involved with the construction of onshore gas pipelines soon.
The opportunities for Serimax are growing in Mexico and we are looking forward to supporting our customers with more technology and engineering. We are offering our customers tailored premium solutions to help them be on the edge and be competitive locally.
OE: What are some challenges Serimax sees in Mexico in terms of workforce, available materials and equipment?
Cyril Petit: To maintain Mexico’s economic growth, the energy sector will have to develop further and grow. As we discussed earlier, the partnership and the possible competitive situation between Pemex and the international companies will help the development of new fields in deeper waters and we might see a shortage of highly qualified resources to support the growth we do anticipate.
Serimax will support the sustainable development of the energy sector in Mexico as it has always done. Our past and current experience shows that the best technology and the best people are wanted. This is where Serimax come into play. Serimax has recognized and certified training programs to teach the theory and provide the required hands on training to the workforce. We can train in our certified centers worldwide or can also train locally at our customers’ facility. Our programs are designed to give local resources the skill and competencies required to support the development of the industry in their home country. Serimax has the tools and programs to help its customers grow and train its pool of qualified resources and talents to cope with the challenges that are ahead of us.
OE: Finally, after the reforms, what is the long-term outlook for Mexico’s oil and gas industry from your perspective?
Cyril Petit: In a transition phase, the reforms will help accelerate growth in Mexico. The market attractiveness will grow and will pull investments in from private investors in a sustainable way, maintaining a level of activity for the oil and gas sector providers such as Serimax. The oil fields will go deeper and deeper to uncover new reserves and extract additional resources required to maintain Mexico’s growth and its current position of crude oil exporter to the US.
Mexico offers long term opportunities in a dynamic environment calling for more technology and more premium solutions served locally and that is what Serimax strives to deliver to its customers.
The final impacts on the energy sector in Mexico heavily depends on the quality of implementation of the current reforms, but let’s not forget that the price of oil on a worldwide basis will also drive some of the success or limitations to these reforms’ impact on the long term development plan.
Cyril Petit is Serimax’s regional manager for Central and North America, a position he has held since 2012. He joined Serimax in 2002 as a research and development welding engineer. He moved to the US in 2004 becoming a project manager, and in 2010, Petit became regional operations manager taking on responsibilities such as all operational activities and supply chain.
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