Integrated thinking

With mixed messages abounding in oil's corridors of power, we took this month's drilling market appraisal direct to the companies who dominate the scene in the Middle East.

Big hitters Baker Hughes, Weatherford and Schlumberger all participate, as well as a host of international and local technology and equipment providers. The good news is that this region has been hit less hard than other global oil centres, and on the E&P front is certainly bouncing back quicker.

A real willingness to keep developing oilfields from Saudi Arabia, across to Oman, and up all the way through the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, means the overwhelming weight of opinion is that the worst is over and projections are looking decidedly rosier than they were 12 months ago.

Cost control has been the mantra that dominated 2009, but that hasn't meant a flight from quality. Niche high-end technology firms have seen a groundswell of enthusiasm for tools that can maximise uptime and cut completion costs. Drill bit manufacturers are equally seeing a push for durability and quality as the region wants more from each investment.

The overwhelming message from our panellists is to stay ahead, whether you are a downhole tool provider, a service company, or anything in between, delivering and packaging your goods into an integrated offering has been the trend applied to business models in 2009. Most likely this is permeating every industry facing manufacturers and service providers.

Neatly packaging business lines with a service provision offering and the after-sales, or back-up systems in place is what is separating the companies we'll hear a lot from towards year-end, from the companies squawking on the sidelines.

Also this month, don't miss the top ten Gulf Mega projects. Some may be near completion, others still on the sketchpad, but with $105 billion worth of business out there, are you getting your slice of the action?

Daniel Canty is the group editor of ITP Business' energy tiles.

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