TRUSSVILLE, AL- SPOC Automation, a company located in a quiet Birmingham suburb of about 20,000 people, is the largest artificial lift control manufacturer in all of North America. “Artificial lift” is the process used to increase the flow of liquids coming out of a well, or, as SPOC Automation describes it, “technology that allows users to get more product out of the ground.”
Bobby Mason founded SPOC Automation in Trussville in 2001 when the price of a barrel of oil was near an all-time low. Mason and a handful of industry veterans were working with motor controls in the coal bed methane industry on a job site near Tuscaloosa when they discovered a way to engineer sensorless pump off control software (SPOC). Their discovery drastically reduced energy consumption — and costs — for its users. So while many people were getting out of the oil and gas industry, Mason recognized it was an ideal time to release his team’s product to improve oilfield production. Some 15 years the company is a global leader in the oil and gas industry.
“Our livelihood for the past fifteen years has been dedicated to both the domestic and international oil and gas industry,” said Mason. “However, our roots actually run deep in the nonconventional gas fields of the Black Warrior Basin of West Alabama.”
Due to product demand, the company’s staff has recently doubled in size, with more than 70 jobs created over a three-year period, and their team of designers and engineers continues to innovate.
Most recently, they created a cloud-based software called ‘Well Optix,’ which allows customers 24/7 access to well conditions, production information and the ability to make updates to artificial lift controls.
While the recent decline in oil prices has affected the oil and gas industry, SPOC has been able to capitalize on the fact that their Alabama-made products save oil-producing companies large sums of money on their electrical bills. By automating the process with SPOC products, they can not only drop electrical costs but also increase production by many barrels of oil per day.
“Many people ask me if I have trouble sleeping at night due to the unforeseen future of the oil and gas industry,” said Mason. “Truly nothing keeps me up at night because I know who is ultimately in control, God. He has me leading SPOC, with an incredible, hard-working team right here in Trussville, and I consult with Him regularly. Therefore I have no reason to worry.”
Under Mason’s steady leadership, the accolades for SPOC have rolled in. The company was named to Inc.’s annual list of the fastest-growing companies in North America in both 2014 and 2015. SPOC has also been a two-time finalist for Alabama’s Manufacturer of the Year Awards, which are presented by the Alabama Technology Network and the Business Council of Alabama (BCA).
“SPOC Automation is a leading manufacturer both in Alabama and in North America,” said BCA President and CEO William Canary. “SPOC Automation has a proven record of superior performance and operational excellence, and we are proud they are members of the Business Council of Alabama.”
A former executive of Lufkin Industries, a manufacturing company based in Texas that joined GE Oil & Gas in 2013, recently called SPOC Automation the “best kept secret in the oil and gas industry.”
If the company continues to grow, they won’t be much of a secret anymore.
“The oil and gas industry is sure to change in the future,” said SPOC Automation Vice President Ted Wilke. “When it does, SPOC will be adapting to ensure that our applications fit our customer’s needs, not only domestically- but also internationally.”
