WorldWide Drilling Resource

The Most Valuable Tool by Kyle Rehme VolkBell Property & Casualty Insurance, LLC Your most valuable tool probably has three traits: reliability, predictability, depend- ability. Valuable tools function as expected, when expected. A valuable tool not only helps you make money, it helps you keep your promises - to your customers, em- ployees, your family. Valuable tools are useful tools, and how they are cared for is a direct reflection of the fella who oper- ates them. Good, valuable tools well-main- tained and cared for are something to be proud of indeed! Now let’s imagine you’re looking to buy a rig. You’re probably not looking for just any rig, you’re looking to buy the “right rig”. You know what I’m talking about. The right year, right size, the right systems, compressors, upgrades, etc. Maybe more important than what it is or how it’s configured, are the right details - like the nuanced condition of the lubrication, wear points, and overall cleanliness. The details which matter and say boldly, “I’ve been handled right, I have what it takes, and I’ll be de- pendable for you too.” And when you find the “right rig” and get it outfitted to your liking, who exactly will you trust to run it for you? Just anybody with a drill operator’s license? Someone who has seen one on a reality TV episode? Who exactly will work on your rig doing repairs and upgrades without fail? Just anyone handy who can turn a wrench? Maybe someone who . . . Of course I’m kidding! But why do so many business owners treat insurance and workers’ compensation (comp) any dif- ferently? Maybe because insurance tools cost money, not make money, right? Maybe there are a lot of reasons, but here is what I do know: None of us would feel good about operating any sort of valuable machinery, let alone a drill rig, without the right setup, routine maintenance, and plenty of know-how. Disabling or not keeping necessary safety guards in place, even the small ones, is inviting serious consequences. Yet, the annual cycle of insurance policies somehow entices business owners and even competing agents to remove or omit many protections, details, and safety features within insurance policies - all to save premium dollars. This feels great and seems fine - until it isn’t. In this, I’m not kidding. When a bad day happens to you, your insurance policy is either going to be worth infinitely more than what you paid for it, or it won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on. Exactly how insurance tools are setup, if the right details are in place, and who is operating it for you will matter. The choice is yours to either step over a dollar to pick up a dime, and maybe reverse engineer a disaster for yourself in doing so - or seize the moment and make the resolve in this New Year to treat your insurance and workers’ comp as the valuable tools they are. These tools take care of your equipment, your people, your profit, your time. All the best to you! Kyle Kyle Rehme may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Mills Machine Company, Inc. offers pipe alignment clamps with ratchet closures for speed and ease of aligning pipe ends. They are precision machined to facilitate a close tolerance alignment for welding, with heavier and larger cross- bars to assure straight alignment between the two joints of pipe. The wider stance of the roundabouts or sides of the clamp ensure a firmer and more secure hold on pipe ends. They are also available with arched crossbars to allow full-circle welding without removing the clamps. 23 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JANUARY 2017