A Sea of Discontent

A Sea of Discontent

The wisdom of the masses is a concept that contends information gathered from a group is generally more reliable than information gathered from any single individual within that group.  If so, what is the industry saying en masse about the products used to develop offshore wells—particularly those at greater depths—in light of the Deepwater Horizon incident?

In short, EnergyPoint’s data suggest customers are significantly less satisfied with the equipment and materials available for subsea and deepwater projects than for land- and surface-based applications.  In fact, since 2005, subsea products received the lowest overall customer ratings of all product segments tracked in our surveys. Continue reading “A Sea of Discontent”

GE’s Purchase of Vetco Gray: Examining the Impact

GE's Purchase of Vetco Gray (FI) v. 1.00

It would not be surprising if last month’s announcement that General Electric will purchase oilfield equipment maker Vetco Gray sent a collective shiver down the spines of Vetco competitors.

For years, competitors watched Vetco more or less tread water under the ownership of ABB. Private-equity bought the company in 2004 and seemed to hold to the traditional private-equity model of limiting investments to initiatives offering the highest returns and quickest payback. We suspect to see changes at the company now that it is in the hands of a longer-term, more growth-oriented owner. Continue reading “GE’s Purchase of Vetco Gray: Examining the Impact”