Energy Industry Intel & Commentary
If the devil lies in the details when it comes to Halliburton making its acquisition of Baker Hughes work for stakeholders, so might the opportunity. We’ve pointed out in the past the convergence of performance as seen by customers among the industry’s largest suppliers. We see elements of this same effect in the latest customer …
Continue reading “Halliburton & Baker Hughes: The Devil’s in the Details”
The pending merger between Halliburton and Baker Hughes promises to be one of the most highly scrutinized corporate combinations in the history of the oil and gas industry. Not only will the deal create, by some metrics, the largest provider of oilfield products and services in the world, it will irrevocably alter the balance of …
This post was updated on June 24, 2019. Imagine a contest between two horses. History suggests one of the animals, having lost most of its races to the competitor, is the slower of the two. You are given even odds. Would you bet on the reliably slower horse? The answer, of course, is no. …
It is said what CEOs most enjoy is a challenge with outsize reward. If so, Mark McCollum should be ecstatic. As the incoming CEO of Weatherford International, he is tasked with resurrecting one of the more perennially promising, yet frustratingly underachieving, companies in the oil patch. McCollum’s predecessor, long-time CEO Bernard Duroc-Danner, built an organization with …
As the oil and gas sector stirs with a hopeful sense of purpose, several of its largest and most influential suppliers are pursuing distinctly different strategies. It’s not just about which products and services will propel the industry forward. To some extent, the balance of power between providers and customers is at stake. On one end of the …
Continue reading “Integrated Oilfield Suppliers Plot Divergent Paths”
GE Oil & Gas and Baker Hughes shocked the oil and gas world with the announcement they will come together to create the industry’s number two supplier. From a financial standpoint, the transaction is effectively an acquisition of Baker Hughes by GE. In practical terms, it’s more like a merger. Both companies will contribute their …
Continue reading “GE Deal Offers Baker Hughes a New Beginning”
In the 1980s and 1990s, the oilfield equipment sector, for all intents and purposes, neglected the customer. Since then, a select group of companies have successfully kept the focus of their efforts on satisfying customers with dependable products. They have coupled this with responsive service. The results are impressive. In fact, they’ve played critical roles …
Continue reading “Oilfield Equipment: Let Gaps Guide Investment”
Schlumberger’s bid for Cameron Int’l is big news in a flinching industry. The vision behind the deal is ambitious — even a bit brash. It’s more than just the consolidation of two large oilfield suppliers. The technical aspects of the plan could unleash industry ripples for decades to come. Cameron’s long-time focus has been on …
U.S. shale plays may be creating a novel way to measure the new breed of top oil companies. The standard yardstick of worldwide barrels produced per day still evokes names of familiar global players such as Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP, as well as state-owned entities like Saudi Aramco and Petrobras. When gauged by innovation …
Continue reading “Top Oil Companies Increasingly Defined by Shale Innovation”
Malcolm Gladwell’s book David and Goliath offers interesting perspective on how those possessing seemingly little in the way of resources can successfully take on more established players using their size and ingenuity to their advantage. The promise of the little guy is certainly germane to the oil and gas industry. If a company or individual has an …