Nichols Brothers, Inc. is a diversified company with divisions in oil and gas production (NBI Services), crude oil purchasing (Pacer Energy Terminals), gas marketing, transportation and trading (Pacer Energy Marketing) and commercial real estate (Main Square Towers). Headquartered in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, Nichols Brothers was founded over 30 years ago by two enterprising brothers. Brad Dickey joined Nichols Brothers in 2010 as a Projects Manager, and was tasked with choosing and implementing a maintenance management tool and developing PM schedules.

Prior to implementing eMaint, Nichols Brothers used spreadsheets to manage maintenance on all assets except fleet vehicles, which were being managed by a fleet maintenance system. With over 10,000 assets in total, Nichols Brothers was in need of a tool to manage planned and predictive maintenance. Dickey explains, “Equipment used to produce oil and gas is very expensive, so we needed to ensure that the maintenance was being completed when needed.” Dickey was tasked with finding web-based maintenance software that would fit the needs of all Nichols Brothers Divisions. “After going through many evaluations, there were just a few clear choices, and eMaint was the first choice because of its flexibility, affordability, and the outstanding support staff,” said Dickey.

Before making the final decision to choose eMaint, Dickey attended eMaint’s Spring 2013 Boot Camp training sessions and User Group Summit. Not long afterward, Nichols Brothers came on board as “All In” clients, and have since been conducting a phased geographical roll-out, and plan to have 10,000 assets imported when complete. Nichols Brothers is using eMaint for tracking assets and work completion in all divisions:

1. NBI Services: Uses eMaint CMMS for maintaining equipment across 1,000 well sites, and is in the process of inputting 5,000 pieces of equipment into the system as assets.
2. Pacer Energy Marketing: Uses eMaint, which is integrated with Fuel Man software, for managing maintenance for truck and railcar fleet for over 300 vehicles.
3. Pacer Energy Terminals: Uses eMaint CMMS for managing maintenance on assets such as pumps, motors and tanks. eMaint’s PM Manager is also used to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, safety and environmental standards.
4. Main Square Towers: Uses eMaint to manage planned maintenance and work orders for about 500,000 square feet of commercial real estate, along with the NBI Services offices. Maintenance technicians are given work orders generated by the system.

• Configurable and flexible to meet the requirements of four diverse divisions
• Dedicated account manager provides quick resolution to inquiries
• Integrates with Fuel Man software for tracking mileage and operational costs
• Provides greater transparency of completed work through dashboards and reporting
• Supports and tracks compliance with EPA, State Department of Environmental Quality, State and Federal DOT, PHMSA, and OSHA regulations

Brad D., Projects Manager, Nichols Brothers