JESCO held its first Drill Day event Nov. 15, 2022, at the company's facility in Lumberton, N.J.
Approximately 75 local utility contractors attended the event, which included a mud mixing class, drill demonstrations, tips on utility locating and hands-on drilling experience.
Tom McGrail, operations manager of JESCO, Lumberton, N.J., spoke about the importance of the mud mixing class.
"Usually, there is an operator of a directional drill who knows how to properly use the machine, but depending on the ground conditions, you also need somebody who is going to understand what tools and fluid additives you need to manage these conditions," he said. "This is where the mud engineer comes in — he or she knows exactly what to do with any type of ground condition.
"When you are drilling down hole, you are supposed to be using fluid to help remove the ground cuttings and at the same time secure the hole," he added. "What we are trying to do is educate people on how to do that. Some contractors do not use any fluids, and some just use a bentonite and water mix. We want to help educate them on how to mix mud in all different situations and what products they should be using to make their jobs easier."
Carl Poche, mud engineer and account executive of Velocity Drilling Fluids, led the mud mixing class.
"I am teaching them about drilling fluid importance so when they are making these bores and using this equipment, they know how to move cuttings that they are drilling through when they are installing products such as utility lines or fiber," said Poche. "I teach them how to alter their fluid to get the best maximum capacity of their equipment to get maximum profit."
When asked about the importance of JESCO's Drill Day, Poche said, "There is really not good information in the industry and contractors don't always take the time to learn on their own, due to lack of resources."
He said contractors often take advice from people who do not always specialize in mud mixing or even in this specific industry, and it ends up being a costly mistake when things are done incorrectly. The JESCO team along with Poche said that their goal is to help their clients decrease downtime and increase profit.
"Many contractors do not realize the positive effects of the products that we sell and that these can help do the job 20 to 30 percent faster," said Poche. "It also reduces wear and tear on the drill pipe and the drill bits and who wouldn't want that?"
McGrail said one of the biggest reasons that JESCO hosted this event was because the company recognizes labor shortages and lack of resources available for drill crews and they want to be that resource for the industry professionals and clients.
"We are showing them how to locate utilities and drill their bore holes more quickly, more efficiently and more safely," he said.
Brett Romer, regional sales manager of Subsite Electronics, demonstrated the Marksman HDD Guidance System and HDD Beacons, showing the utility contractors in attendance how to "see" what really lies beneath the ground in the form of utility lines and other obstacles. Romer and JESCO used a Ditch Witch JT24 directional drill for both the demonstration and to provide attendees the opportunity to operate the drill themselves. JESCO also had the Ditch Witch JT10 and JT40 directional drill on display for the event.
As an added bonus for the event's attendees, JESCO provided a breakfast spread and also a lunch catered by Mission BBQ.
Overall, McGrail touted the event as not only being important for utility contractors, but also for JESCO's staff.
"We are doing a lot of cross-training from parts and service team members, so at events like this one, we are able to operate the machine to understand the workings of a directional drill," he said.
When asked if he and JESCO would like to hold the same event next year, McGrail said, "Of course! We love doing this here and it's been a great success today." CEG
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