GE's new subsea manifold design

Author: Posttime:2013-09-05 08:49:57

ABERDEEN, U.K.September 3, 2013Facing a surging global demand for critical subsea oil
and gas production equipment, GE Oil & Gas (NYSE: GE) has launched a new strategy to
dramatically reduce the time it takes to design and deliver subsea manifold systems to key
offshore customers by adding a standardized manifold design option.
The new manifold customer option can help reduce manifold delivery times by up to 50 percent,
depending on various project factors. GEs new manifold design also can be reconfigured to
meet certain project conditions, up to a fully customized solution if customers prefer.
This new approach represents a significant change in how we design and deliver manifolds to
our customers, said Fredrik Witting, product manager for subsea manifolds and connection
systemsGE Oil & Gas. Previously, we would meet with customers to discuss their specific
project requirements and then design customized manifold solutions for them. Now we can offer
customers the option of a pre-engineered manifold solution that can be used for a variety of
project conditions. This could be a real productivity game-changer in this segment from both an
engineering intensity and supply chain optimization perspective.
Subsea manifolds are used to merge the flow from multiple subsea wells for transfer into
production flowlines and to manage distribution of injected water, gas and chemicals. Typically,
manifold systems are designed as modular blocks that are customized to meet a customers
individual configuration requirements and design options.
However, with offshore companies needing faster equipment delivery times to meet their urgent
project timetables and with the global energy industry facing a shortage of skilled engineers, GE
has expanded its product portfolio to include a more standardized, prefabricated manifold system
that can be more quickly deployed to meet a diverse range of applications.
Instead of rolling out the program independently, GE is collaborating with several of its key
customers to design and evaluate the new manifold option for a number of projects, including off

the coast of Angola. The companies also could expand their discussions to include offshore
projects in Asia, the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil.
Bringing customers in to participate in our program is essential because they clearly understand
the delivery schedule benefits of a standardized manifold with a shorter time to design and
deliver versus the customized solution that they are accustomed to working with, Witting said.
So far, we are getting very positive inputs and feedback from our discussions with our
customers.
GE Oil & Gas has more than 20 years of experience in this segment and has deployed more than
100 custom manifolds around the world. In addition to helping its offshore oil and gas customers
with their production schedules, the new strategy also strengthens GEs competitive position as a
leading supplier of subsea components as the industry seeks ways to streamline their
engineering, manufacturing and delivery supply chains.
The new manifold program is part of GE Oil & Gas broader Structured Products Portfolio
initiative aimed at developing a series of pre-engineered products. In recent years, the company
has utilized a similar approach in the development and deployment of its subsea production trees,
including the SVXT and the DHXT product lines.