One year on, EFiS has consolidated a distinctive operating model for the operation and maintenance of Tecpetrol’s assets in the Neuquén Basin.

Quality, Costs, and Sustainability in the Neuquén Basin. One year after its launch, EFiS (Energy Field Services) has successfully rolled out an operating and maintenance model designed to support Tecpetrol’s core assets in the Neuquén Basin, including the Fortín de Piedra, Los Toldos II East and I North, Los Bastos, Puesto Parada and Agua Salada fields.

The company was set up as a service and maintenance provider built from the ground up with an operational focus, aiming to integrate field services under a single model aligned with the operator’s requirements. The transition was complex: until end-January 2025, operations were managed by an external contractor. As from February 1, EFiS took over full control without any disruption.

“Moving from a contractor to a partner meant putting quality ahead of profit margins,” explains Mauricio Lusso, Director of O&M Services. “Thanks to EFiS, we’ve been able to fully align our service objectives with those of the operator, assimilate a reliability-first mindset, and continue to raise the bar in how we deliver services.”

The shift followed months of planning and on-the-ground learning. “We began in November with a small team working closely with operations, mapping processes and contributing expertise,” explains Rodrigo López, Operations Services Manager.

The task was significant: building EFiS from the ground up, defining its structure, budget and processes, while shaping a distinct identity. One of the main challenges was managing the transition of more than 230 employees who, from one day to the next, had to move from one company to another.

The process required close coordination across multiple areas. Human Resources, Labor Relations, Administration, Safety, Communications and Operations worked in tandem to ensure a smooth transition. “The transition covered everything, from people and tools to inventory and contracts.” The goal was for crews to report on February 1, 2025, and operate as usual, with no disruption. “And that’s exactly what we did!” adds Arianna Gili, Senior Analyst for the O&M Optimization Process.

In her role, Arianna led the team handling one of the core structural challenges involved: designing EFiS’s cost structure and contractual model. “There was no precedent for this,” she recalls. “We built everything from the ground up and learned to operate in a dual role, acting as both customer and supplier at the same time.” Today, EFiS tracks the performance of each crew on a monthly basis, providing key inputs for operational decision-making.

Meanwhile, the day-to-day rhythm has stayed much the same: it starts early with briefing meetings to assign tasks, followed by afternoon rounds to plan the next day. From 5:00 p.m., the afternoon shift takes over to handle administrative work.

The changes have also been reflected in Maintenance, now fully aligned with operations under a “One Team” approach. “We’ve become an integral part of meeting day-to-day operational demands, which reduces response times,” emphasizes Pablo Batallán, Maintenance Services Manager. In practice, this means EFiS plans, executes and adjusts tasks in direct coordination with Tecpetrol’s technical teams, shares performance metrics, participates in follow-up meetings and sets priorities based on each asset’s production targets. Field task management now runs as a single decision-making and execution cycle, with efficiency directly impacting results.

Now that operations have stabilized, EFiS is moving into a growth phase, adding new services such as Well Services, TLM, support for General Services, Facilities, and Quality, and expanding the workforce to more than 360 people. “It was a step-by-step process, but we’ve come out with a stronger structure and tighter control over costs,” Mauricio and Rodrigo agree.

Looking ahead, the focus is clear: “The challenge now is to sustain our safety performance, keep building capabilities and stay on budget, even as we continue to scale and add services,” Mauricio concludes.