Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/705618
WWJ: The August issue of WWJ focuses on water conservation and green technology. How do both of those factor in when designing and engineering a Schramm drill rig? Craig: We are working on some new ideas that certainly have this in mind. Unfortunately, it's a little early for me to share many details. Fuel economy and Tier 4 engine needs for emis- sions are certainly things we need to integrate going forward. WWJ: What do you hope to achieve in your first year with Schramm? Can you share with us any long-term goals you have? Craig: It's still early but I would like to fully establish our rig rebuild initiatives and integrate our technology improvements we have across our product range. I guess the main objective is reinforce the fact Schramm is focused on the mining and water space and reinforce our position as a market leader. WWJ: You hit the ground running by representing Schramm at the Expomin trade show in April in San- tiago, Chile. How was the show? Is South America a growing market for Schramm? Craig: Expomin was a well-attended show but the market is certainly still tough down there. We are seeing some interest though and I think the market has bounced off bottom now. We are seeing our customers who were just exploration drillers now looking to update their rigs so they can cover the water well opportunities too. WWJ: What are the big advancements you're hoping to see in the water well drilling industry in the future? Craig: Seeing some of the technology improvements that are considered commonplace in other drilling markets, like elec- tric control. Having a flexible platform that can be tweaked to suit the variety of requests we see with our customers will help deliver an application-specific configuration, but on a decent lead time. WWJ: Lastly, what do you think are the critical issues facing the water well drilling industry today? Craig: This market continues to see a lot of pricing pressure. Anything we can do to help improve uptime, drilling efficien- cies, etc. is a focus. Seeing some of the government incentive programs continue or restart also help a lot. WWJ Twitter @WaterWellJournl WWJ August 2016 31 Mike Price is the senior editor of Water Well Journal. In addition to his WWJ responsibilities, Price produces NGWA's newsletter and contributes to the Association's quarterly scientific publication. He can be reached at mprice@ngwa.org. "Work out how to be flexible. Working in a variety of drilling applications is a great way to keep your drill turning."