Lin Zhu

Ensuring compliance and consistency across locations takes a multidisciplinary team and great communication

Lin Zhu is a product and service delivery (PSD) manager based in Chengdu, China. She ensures that 30 wells across the country are operationally consistent and compliant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Her domain covers the central and western operations of China – two regions separated by a 3.5-hour flight.

Lin’s team links the field crews and office support teams such as drilling engineers, technology, and sales—managing the movement of equipment and a crew of around 130 personnel on various schedules.

“Some days we mobilize two to three rigs per day,” Lin says. “I hold a pre-job meeting with the field crew, which involves the customer engagement contact, drilling engineers, and command center to brief the field team on the well plan, historical operation data, and the HSE concerns specific to this operation."

This is important because some field crew may be on their first job in this location. Sharing information on what they should be aware of based on past experiences helps them transition more quickly and safely once on the rig.

She’ll then align with the personnel and asset coordinators on what tools are needed at the different well sites, how and when to get them there, upcoming shift changes for personnel, and how to complete these crew changes with minimal impact.

“Having strong communication skills is one of the most important components of my job,” Lin says.  “For example, current local Covid-19 protocols are very strict—quarantine upon entry plus additional testing. So, we have to clearly communicate the requirements and align our schedules.”

Compliance is crucial in operations because any failure can impact not only SLB revenue, but also our reputation. Lin oversees this for her crews through proper documentation and certifications to ensure they are fully compliant.

For certifications, she works closely with the personnel coordinator, who checks whether an employee’s competencies fit a customer's job requirements before they’re sent to the rig. This is very important in China land operations because the country’s three main clients all have their own unique certification systems.

“I need to constantly keep in mind both global and local processes,” she says. “Experience in planning, evaluating, and ensuring quality and efficiency of field operations is key to doing the same role at a larger scale.”

Lin also ensures that employees are using their vacation time. “Taking time to rest and recharge is important to delivering the best service quality and keeping safety at top of mind,” she says.