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”

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”

Cameron Int’l Making Its Way To New Depths

New Depths

Conceptualizing, fabricating and installing the labyrinth of integrated systems and equipment required for today’s massive subsea projects are some of the most complex tasks in the oil and gas industry. Without question, the daunting challenges at these depths contribute to the historically low customer satisfaction ratings for subsea products we have observed in our surveys over the years.

Although not the market-share leader in the space, Cameron International has recently been dynamic in its efforts related to increasing the profile of its subsea offerings, most notably advancing the depth and breadth of its capabilities via its OneSubsea joint venture with Schlumberger.

Continue reading “Cameron Int’l Making Its Way To New Depths”

Customers & Investors – The Ties That Bind

Ties that Bind

The evidence that customer satisfaction is an important metric for understanding, managing and anticipating the performance of today’s global oilfield suppliers continues to mount.

Recently completed analysis indicates the strongest tie yet (statistical significance levels are now well over 95%) between publicly traded oilfield suppliers’ customer satisfaction levels—as measured in EnergyPoint Research’s independent surveys—and the subsequent stock-price performance. Continue reading “Customers & Investors – The Ties That Bind”

Ditch the Price-centric Mindset

Price Tag

Bottom-line pricing may matter to some customers, but misconceptions abound in terms of the specific relationship between pricing and customer satisfaction in the oilfield. Most organizations overestimate the impact pricing has on customer satisfaction.

A company’s customer satisfaction relative to peers — what customers and suppliers should both be focused on — is a function of completed acts. That is, how did the supplier and its offerings perform compared to expectations? Continue reading “Ditch the Price-centric Mindset”

MarkWest, Williams & Sunoco Logistics Garner Midstream Kudos

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As customers in the hotly contested midstream services segment have demanded more reliable operations and deeper product-development capabilities from their suppliers, MarkWest Energy once again has emerged as best-in-class as it captured top honors in EnergyPoint Research’s 2013 Midstream Services Customer Satisfaction Survey. 

The recently announced results cinches back-to-back customer satisfaction victories for MarkWest, which also took first-place overall in EnergyPoint’s midstream survey conducted in 2011. The biennial study, which dates back to 2006, is the leading independently conducted benchmark customer satisfaction study focusing on U.S. midstream service providers.

Continue reading “MarkWest, Williams & Sunoco Logistics Garner Midstream Kudos”

The Grapevine – Weatherford Int’l

OIlfield Grapevine

Weatherford International recently reported 1st Quarter 2013 earnings after adjustments that were generally in line with consensus estimates. The following day, the company’s stock price rose more than seven percent. Investors seemed relieved that no additional shoes dropped in the earnings release or conference call. The fact that such rise in stock price occurred on a report of no unexpected bad news says a lot about how Weatherford is currently viewed in the investor community.

Below are our thoughts on what we’ve read and heard from Weatherford recently, both positive and negative, as well as some updated data regarding the company’s customer satisfaction ratings and what they suggest for its new strategic tact: Continue reading “The Grapevine – Weatherford Int’l”

Sizing Up GE + Lufkin Industries – Part 2

M&A

Part 1 of this article discussed background issues at play for the companies in GE Oil & Gas‘ purchase of Lufkin Industries, including the uncharacteristic decline in Lufkin’s customer satisfaction ratings in 2011 and early 2012. It also took a look at the strategic rationale behind the deal.

This second part focuses on what the GE-Lufkin combination prospectively means for customers, with particular attention paid to the perceived cultural fit between the two companies. Continue reading “Sizing Up GE + Lufkin Industries – Part 2”

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Oilfield

Mad Mad Oilfield

North American shale continues to rewrite the books, and its potential seems destined to spread globally. Simultaneously, new horizons are being forged offshore — from the ultra-deepwater of the world’s great oceans, to the lower-tertiary depths of the Gulf of Mexico, to the vast unknown of the Arctic. And operators are always looking to squeeze more from existing assets everywhere. All the while, the industry’s ingenuity and resolve is being both tested and showcased.

Given the clamorous state of the industry, maybe it’s not surprising EnergyPoint’s customer satisfaction ratings of oilfield service suppliers are, as they say, “all over the board”. After all, no one contends the demands of this brave new world are easily met. They are not. Everything from the far-flung and nomadic nature of today’s operations to the “big-crew change” lurking in the background suggests plenty of challenges. Continue reading “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Oilfield”

Sizing Up GE + Lufkin Industries – Part 1

M&A

Despite its relatively small size and narrow focus, Lufkin Industries‘ products are iconic within the petroleum industry. Glance at virtually any photo of a West Texas oilfield, and you’ll likely see at least one gracefully oscillating Lufkin pump jack. The oilfield’s a pretty practical place, but there’s always been something sublime about that particular image.

With its announcement earlier this week that it will purchase Lufkin Industries for $3.3 billion — a rich 38% premium over the previous trading-day’s closing price — GE Oil & Gas obviously sees something inspiring in the shot as well. The industrial giant clearly believes there are strong secular growth prospects in artificial lift applications. Continue reading “Sizing Up GE + Lufkin Industries – Part 1”