GenTex Oilfield Manufacturing Red Deer company shoots for international success.

To many people, a hot oiler is hockey player Mike Comrie on a scoring streak. But to those in the oil patch, the phrase means much, much more.

Just ask the management and staff of GenTex Oilfield Manufacturing; a Red Deer business that is quickly developing an international reputation as a recognized leader in the design and manufacture of hot oilers – or hot pressure units.

Originally known as General Hot Oilers, the company is owned by Garett Cupples and was founded by his father Wes over three decades ago. For years, General Hot Oilers carved out an impressive niche of clientele, providing hot oil and fluid pumping service to well sites throughout central Alberta.

Diversification into the manufacture of hot oil units seemed the natural progression to Cupples, and this occurred in the mid-1980’s.

According to Sales Manager Brad Cleland, the company has made impressive strides since that time; expanding their domestic and international market; purchasing the Texas based Texsteam Heating Division and divesting themselves of the service side of the business in March 2002; and subsequently changing their name to GenTex last September.

“An opportunity came by to sell the service end of the business and at the same time we had an opportunity to purchase the Texsteam Heating Division, which was the company that came up with many of these original hot oil unit designs,” observes Cleland. “In the business, Texsteam to hot oil units is like Kleenex is to tissue.”

Then, late in 2002, they capped off an eventful year by designing and building the world’s largest portable hot oil unit – now seeing service at Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay.

The statistics on this new hot oiler are staggering to say the least.

“It’s more a specific application unit,” Cleland explains. “But to put it into perspective, a standard hot oil unit would typically be about a 50-barrel unit with a 165 horsepower pump. The one we sold to Alaska has a 600 horsepower pump and has a capacity of 230 barrels.

Of course, the Alaska sale is one of many international successes that the company has celebrated in recent years. Already, GenTex hot oil units can now be found in China, India, Kazakhstan and in a number of countries in Central and South America.

Cleland believes that much of this success can be attributed to the over 75 years of combined operational knowledge and experience.

“We understand what our customers’ requirements are. We talk the same language and we understand their business.”

Additionally, GenTex can provide hands-on training for any unit, anywhere in the world. As an example, company officials – including Cleland – recently returned from a five-month educational session in Kazakhstan.

“This in another value added service that we have. We can afford our customers quality safety and operational training on these units, wherever they want us to go.” Cleland adds.

“Our goal has always been to give our customers a quality, serviceable and safe unit to operate.”

-Written by David Harasymuk