Frequently referred to as the “cash register” of the petroleum industry, a flow computer is a scientific instrument that is typically used for custody or fiscal transfer between contracting parties. Flow computers monitor and calculate the volume and mass flows in gathering and transportation pipeline systems for natural gas, crude oils, refined products, LPGs, and NGLs. Monitoring is done by ancillary sensors for pressure, temperature, and other devices depending on the design of the system. They route the signal to the flow computer which performs as the computational instrument predetermined by various regulatory or statutory, standard, or specification. Based on the quantity calculated, the buyer pays the seller on the contractual agreed amount/$. In a large middle east country; it could be 10MM barrels a day, in the USA it could be 8MM a day, and so on—annually it can account for trillions of USD in economic value globally.
Observing a need to reduce measurement uncertainty and improve reliability for metric or standard measurement in liquids and gas hydrocarbons, OMNI designed and produced an instrument to improve operations, reduce maintenance outages,and minimize operations disruption; this resulted in the formation of key trusted partnerships with their customers and coalesced to form the global industry leader, hence OMNI Flow Computers was established. OMNI Flow Computers is the largest independent manufacturer of custody transfer flow computers and the industry leader in oil and gas measurement solutions. Built on a sterling reputation for being the standard in liquid and gas flow measurement for 30 years, OMNI flow computers have culminated into one of the most sought-after energy solutions worldwide.
Customer Solution Priority
Leadership at OMNI has always embraced and championed ‘customer solutions’ based explicitly on science, engineering, and the first principles that drive innovation and visionary deployment of our product. However, it’s the ethos of the founders that established the core values: Respect, Trust, Integrity, to name a few, which are unaltered and developed by the activities and behavior at work and in the community. It’s a total commitment as an entrepreneur, professional, and citizen, demonstrated by both humility and strength. For example, products produced during 1990 are still in full-time operations, thirty years later they are supported! An example of reliance include installation in the strategic oil reserves, and almost all major national energy systems infrastructure in North America. It’s an objective performance testimony that when quality and ‘producing the best’ are combined – a product of dependable performance is created and based on the established metrics of the results – it becomes trusted. It took visionary founder(s) and ardent followers to keep this passion alive/sustainable. Passion is in OMNI’s DNA, it’s obsessive, and at times challenging, nonetheless, trust, tenacity, and transparency are some of the root qualities that yield this type of long-term success.
As an ISO 2001-2015 certified company OMNI has empowered their employees to be compliant and better, as a direct result of this compulsive pursuit; they have received a perfect audit score/result with zero negative findings during the past two consecutive years. As a direct result of their fantastic team—OMNI have applied for the Malcom Baldridge Award via the Quality Texas Foundation (QTF). When it comes to customizable or unique fits—they depend on the team. “They must ask the right questions and evaluate what the customers wants to achieve. After we have the required information, documentations, and standards—only then do we proceed to offer a solution,” says the company leaders. “The key are our employees along the entire process—there is no magic; just a lot of dedicated professionals with a passion to ‘knock it out of the park’.”
Towards the Future
The shift in the economy due to corona virus 19, oil and gas industry slowdown/crash, and social disturbances broadly reported via various news outlets are challenges the ‘media pundits’ did not forecast—it seemed that so many were caught off guard and only reacted. OMNI leaders are skeptical about ‘Google, Facebook, Twitter Experts on every topic’ influencing the population and decision makers. OMNI has already implemented their contingency plans preemptively as a matter of risk management as soon as they started receiving official information. This resulted in almost a seamless transition from the office to the remote work areas. “Our technical infrastructure was already migrated and built out, our customers experienced no disruptions to technical support, sales, or shipments, so it’s not just a matter of building great reliable instruments but having all the associate support that is holistic to maximize daily operations,” adds the company representatives.
For the decades to come, OMNI will be a value multiplier and aligned with customer solutions as long as the need for custody transfer exists. “We are directly connected to our customers and their mission. “Because we operate globally; we keep our operations efficient which means operating based on well-established business fundamentals driven by data and metrics—evidence based coupled with experience.” OMNI customers operate instruments in over 80 countries around the world and we candidly keep our own council as a privatelyowned company.