Tag: oilfield

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Laying the Groundwork for Better Times Ahead

Image of workers laying a cement foundation with a gold masthead and white text.

The tendency of many suppliers to the oil and gas industry is to live for the up cycle. When challenging times hit, enthusiasm inevitably wanes. Companies go through the motions, but their hearts aren’t in it.  Some even shut their doors until times improve.

But it does not have to be this way. Forward-looking suppliers always have the opportunity to the lay the groundwork for better times ahead. For some, this new foundation will be evolutionary.  For others, it can prove revolutionary.

Continue reading “Laying the Groundwork for Better Times Ahead”
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Schlumberger’s Quiet Moonshot

Schlumberger's Ambitious Moonshot

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 the “heavy iron” used in the oil patch.  Schlumberger hopes to expand on that role by creating fully integrated drilling and production systems around its various products. The idea amounts to an operating system that efficiently manages processes from downhole to delivery.

It’s an alluring concept, one that cuts across much of the upstream Continue reading “Schlumberger’s Quiet Moonshot”

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Hydraulic Fracturing & The Nocebo Effect

No Fracking Way

Recently, residents of Denton, Texas voted to ban hydraulic fracturing within the city limits.  One way to read the results from the referendum is to conclude that the verdict is in: unconventional drilling for oil and gas poses enough health risks to nearby communities that it had to be stopped in the Dallas-suburb home to drilling innovation.

But is fracking really to blame for recently high incidents of asthma, nose bleed and nausea reported by Denton residents?  As a pioneering city for hydraulic fracturing, the practice has been in place for decades in and around Denton.  What’s novel to the city is the anti-fracking activism and its coverage in both the local and national media. Continue reading “Hydraulic Fracturing & The Nocebo Effect”

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The Customer Has Spoken: A Decade of Appraisals

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In 2004, EnergyPoint Research first set out to discern which oil and gas equipment suppliers and service providers work best for their customers and to quantify their experiences. A decade of collecting and analyzing the relevant data has established EnergyPoint as the resolute voice of the oilfield consumer and the only curator of independent customer satisfaction ratings in the industry.

EnergyPoint started its surveys with the assumptions that customer focus drives best practices and satisfied customers feed growth. Those facts held steady. And as we culled more industry wisdom from end users, we shared with our readers and subscribers a clearer picture of the critical variables companies can focus upon to create satisfied repeat customers. We also offered insights into how customers can influence the performance of their suppliers. Continue reading “The Customer Has Spoken: A Decade of Appraisals”

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The Low-down on Sizing Up Suppliers

Big vs. Small Suppliers

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 idea they believe has merit, there’s little to keep them from pursuing their idea in the oilfield. And if their products or services are good enough, customers will eventually beat a path to their door. Continue reading “The Low-down on Sizing Up Suppliers”

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Global Shale: Potential Bonanza for Suppliers

Global Map

Shale-oil and -gas production in the U.S. has been revered by some as the fuel, engine and vehicle driving the nation toward energy independence and economic solvency. Astronomical estimates of reserves, millions of high-paying new oilfield jobs, enhanced competitiveness for American industry, greater tax inflows for state and federal governments, and incremental export revenues certainly justify the volume of discussion.

Shale has at once become both disruptive and transformative. It’s also here to stay. IEA estimates the share of U.S. shale oil and gas production to double by 2035. Continue reading “Global Shale: Potential Bonanza for Suppliers”

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What’s Going On at EnergyPoint, You Ask?

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As the leading provider of independent research and market intelligence on customer satisfaction in the global oilfield supply sector, EnergyPoint Research is continually updating and improving our approach to serving the needs of our subscribers and the industry as a whole.

So, with the end of another busy year fast approaching, we wanted to bring our readers up to date on some of the exciting developments and initiatives underway here at the firm.

Continue reading “What’s Going On at EnergyPoint, You Ask?”

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NOV Closes the One-stop Shop

Separate Directions

National Oilwell Varco (NOV) operates just about everywhere oil and gas is extracted, enjoying a hearty share of the market for integrated oilfield equipment. Yet global reach and a wide-ranging portfolio of products do not necessarily translate to a better customer experience—for NOV or its competitors.

EnergyPoint’s most recent survey data suggest NOV’s customer satisfaction ratings, while certainly competitive within its peer group, have slowly trended down as the company logged lower scores in various segments. To be fair, ratings for manufacturers of capital drilling equipment remain below average industry-wide. However, NOV has been sliding from its previous perch. Continue reading “NOV Closes the One-stop Shop”

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Ways to Encourage Better Supplier Performance

Encourage Supplier Performance

Over the years, EnergyPoint has collected literally tens of thousands of customer evaluations of oilfield suppliers.  We’ve stuck to our mission because we believe it adds a needed degree of transparency to the industry’s supplier-performance picture.

It has also afforded us some unique insights, including understanding ways customers can proactively influence the performance of their suppliers.  Here’s some of the ways that stand out: Continue reading “Ways to Encourage Better Supplier Performance”

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EnergyPoint’s Oilfield Perspectives Tour

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Having collected and analyzed almost twenty thousand evaluations and over three-quarters of a million data points related to oilfield supplier performance and customer satisfaction since 2003, EnergyPoint Research has a lot to share. So, we’re hitting the road to do just that.

EnergyPoint began its Oilfield Perspectives presentation series in early 2013. The series features Doug Sheridan, managing director and founder of EnergyPoint Research, discussing the latest ratings, rankings, trends and implications from EnergyPoint’s independent customer satisfaction surveys in a uniquely compelling, informative and thought-provoking manner. Continue reading “EnergyPoint’s Oilfield Perspectives Tour”