A major U.S. natural gas producer managing nearly 200 well sites across the Utica Formation transformed operations by replacing daily site visits with centralized video monitoring using Well Checked. The company faced rising lease operating costs, extensive drive time, and the challenge of safely scaling production without increasing staff.
By deploying Well Checked’s video monitoring and cloud services, the producer achieved 24/7 visibility into every site from a central network operations center. This shift eliminated most daily drive time, increased the number of wells each pumper could manage, and provided better insight into site conditions than physical inspections alone.
The result was a more efficient, safer, and scalable operation — saving over $1 million annually, improving production efficiency quarter over quarter, and enabling growth without adding headcount.
The Problem: High Costs, Long Drive Times, Limited Visibility
With nearly 200 well sites spread across 350,000 net leasehold acres — some located up to two hours from headquarters — daily site visits were mandatory for production, safety, security, and environmental compliance. Each site required physical inspections to prevent costly incidents.
As the company expanded, the traditional approach became unsustainable:
- Daily drive time consumed thousands of labor hours
- Scaling operations meant hiring more pumpers and technicians
- Each site visit provided only a brief snapshot of conditions — about 30 minutes per day
The Solution: Centralized Video Monitoring with Well Checked
With Well Checked:
- Each site is continuously recorded, with video captured every 30 minutes and stored for up to 90 days
- Sites are monitored daily from a central Network Operations Center by just two people
- Video history provides visibility into site conditions at the top and bottom of every hour
The Outcome: $1M in Annual Savings and Better Production Performance
Key outcomes included:
- Drive time reduced from daily visits to once per month per site
- 24 hours saved for every 8 hours spent monitoring
- Over $1 million in annual operating cost savings
- Increased well count per pumper, without compromising safety or security
- Improved production efficiency, measured as higher MCF per dollar spent quarter over quarter