The sense of urgency and rapid changes that now characterize the produced water space are attracting a host of new players. Startups are joining stalwarts in bringing new ideas, infrastructure aggregation concepts, and plenty of dry powder to the table. It’s early days for the oilfield water midstream model… so …
Read More »Latest Thoughts
Whistling Past The Graveyard [Chart Of The Day]
Frac sand plants lower on the cost curve are whistling past a graveyard that is filling up with idled capacity. In this data-driven update, we take a look at the trend and discuss its implications for the marketplace. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full …
Read More »A(n Underground) River Runs Through It [Guest Post]
Water supply is a critical component of all Permian Basin proppant sand mine operations. Assuming that demand for and production of sand remain high many of the basin mines will need to extend excavations below the water table and consequently address aquifer dewatering issues. In this guest post, three experts …
Read More »Speaking Thursday Morning, Covia Called The NWS Price Bottom [Live Blog Complete]
Real-time takeaways – what you need to know as Covia speaks this morning… just the points with read-through for the industry… We live-blogged this conference call. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must …
Read More »US Drilling Appears To Be On The Verge Of A Shallow Trough… Is A Spring Or Summer Rig Count Rally In The Cards?
In this week’s regular rig update, we note that while Total US land rig counts are down 27 rigs month over month, they’re up 28 rigs since this time last year. If the unconventional Permian rig counts is any sort of leading indicator, US land rig counts as a whole …
Read More »Another Take-Or-Pay Frac Sand Contract Debate Will Have Its Day In Court
The debate over take-or-pay frac sand contract sanctity continues, as a producer has turned to the courts for contract enforcement. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are …
Read More »Permian Perspectives Part 5 – Last Mile & Wellsite Points
Our latest round of Permian market intelligence focuses on datapoints in frac sand’s last mile and wellsite handling market. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new …
Read More »E-Fleets Back In The News…
US Well Services, one of a handful of electric frac fleet technology pioneers, hosted their first earnings conference call as a public company yesterday. A couple things stood out to us, including … There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update …
Read More »Last Mile Delivery’s Heritage In The Canadian Sandpatch [Guest Post]
What were you up to in 1974? That’s when our guest author today started working in frac sand logistics. He’s seen it all and done it all. And he shares it all in this post. If you are a history buff, you are going to love this one… Two of …
Read More »While Mining Frac Sand In The Dusty Dunes, You’ve Got To Stay Hydrated… [Chart Of The Day]
Today’s chart of the day sits at the intersection of water sourcing and frac sand mining. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, …
Read More »US Local Sand’s Trajectory Slows As Permian Reaches Critical Mass [Charts Of The Day]
The great local sand rush of 2017-2018 has cooled off in 2019 after industry-wide frac sand pricing collapsed into a trough over the past 6-9 months. We estimate that Permian FOB mine prices are down some 65% y/y, which has put a damper on interest in expansion projects (greenfield or …
Read More »US Onshore Drilling Outlook Still Tepid – Digesting More Lower 48 Drilling Outlook Commentary
In our regular weekly update this week, we digested another leading land contractor’s outlook for the US onshore rig market in 2019. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If …
Read More »Goodnight! A Billion+ Dollar Deal In Water Midstream Pushes The Envelope On Private Equity Transaction Value
We believe a significant Private Equity deal today sets a new record while re-confirming our view that a new era in the evolution of water midstream model is beginning. The deal’s details also confirm several key thematic points made recently in an in-depth Infill Thinking water analysis. There’s a lot …
Read More »An Evolving Industry Orbits Around This Oilfield Water Management Lifecycle [Flowchart]
Oilfield water management is a complicated, volumetric business. Here is the oilfield water lifecycle in an easy to follow flowchart that explains this segment’s fast-evolving value chain. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you …
Read More »13 Interesting Things We Read Last Week That Are Relevant To Frac Sand
We’ve been reading alot this week. We’ve also been curating a recap of items we read with the highest impact value for the frac sand supply chain. Enjoy… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …
Read More »The Cost Of Doing Nothing. Zooming In On Permian Infrastructure [Guest Post]
In today’s guest post, James offers a unique perspective on the economic impact of under-developed road-ways and key insights on transportation infrastructure development in West Texas. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must …
Read More »A Wall Of Water Is Coming…
Two weeks ago in Midland, the Infill Thinking team accounted for 2 of the 513 attendees at the PBWIEC water conference. This was the second year in this event’s history, and conference attendance was up 17% y/y. The organizers of PBWIEC, a not-for-profit conference, are providing a much needed service …
Read More »Say You Want A Revolution? A 2019 Last Mile Logistics Growth & Innovation Story…
On a chilly Permian morning a couple weeks ago, we spent some time with the management team behind a new, rapidly growing last mile solution. This week, the team is mobilizing a game-changing new hardware competent, which we are able to break the news on today. Here is what we …
Read More »A New Last Mile Software Solution With Roots Deep In Trucking Just Hit The Market [Silica Valley Series]
This is the fourth installment in our Silica Valley Series which shines the spotlight on an increasingly critical part of the frac value chain: new software solutions in the last mile. A crop of new entrants are improving the frac sand industry’s “mind-muscle connection” on the highways from origin to …
Read More »As Unbundling Spreads, A Leading Pressure Pumper Says It Doesn’t Work [Customer Commentary Recap]
In our latest round of channel checks, we continue to hear more E&Ps direct sourcing and more openness among pressure pumpers to allow E&Ps to sand their own frac jobs. That said, some pumpers are still working hard to challenge the narrative. The customer is always right, so here’s what …
Read More »New Pressure Pumping Points In An Old Narrative
As oilfield service earnings season winds down, the 1H19 pressure pumping narrative is now pretty well established. Here’s what we heard this week that’s a little bit different and off the beaten path… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update …
Read More »OCTG 1H2019: Is The Writing On The Wall? [Guest Post]
Susan Murphy knows OCTG. She is also a repeat contributor to Infill Thinking’s Friday guest post series and a fellow “petro-nerd” who we always enjoy comparing notes with on oilfield trends. Here’s how she sees the business climate in this important vertical as 2019 gets underway… There’s a lot more …
Read More »“Propveyor” – Plans For A New Permian Sand Midstream Solution Unveiled Thursday [Exclusive]
Infill Thinking learned about a new midstream concept for Permian Basin frac sand logistics that was later discussed publicly for the first time. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. …
Read More »A Potential Clue About SandBox’s Next Move. And If This Is Their Next Vertical… It’s A Hot One
We found a hint about what SandBox might be up to next – recall that the company alluded to entering other verticals this year during their recent earnings conference call, which we live-blogged here. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this …
Read More »Keane Idles Three Spreads While Pushing A New “Whisper Fleet” For The DJ Basin [Live Blog…]
We live-blogged the most important comments with oilfield marketplace implications from the Keane conference call this morning. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill …
Read More »With The Brakes “Full On” In Canada, Drilling Rig Migration Into The Lower 48 Is Worth Monitoring This Year
In our regular weekly update this week we take a look at a potential capacity injection from the north. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new …
Read More »A Chat With The Management Team Behind Another New Texas Greenfield Proppant Project [Exclusive]
After seeing a social media post about another Texas frac sand startup, we were able to contact management to learn a whole lot more about the newest kid on the sand block. Check out our exclusive here… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… …
Read More »A Dozen Firsthand Observations From The Dune Sand Production Corridor [Permian Perspective Part 2]
Our series of takeaways from a week invested in the Permian Basin gathering firsthand intel continues with this update. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new …
Read More »Our Dallas Members-Only Meetup
About 50 Infill Thinking members came out for our first meet-up of 2019 in Houston in early February. It was a great time. Now we have two more exciting member networking events on the schedule: Permian and Dallas! Login to get the details… There’s a lot more to this story… …
Read More »US E&P Budgets Sink Sharply Into The Red, But Devon’s Delaware Plan Is A Bright Spot
Over the past several days, E&P capex budget news has been categorically negative. Some of the biggest cuts we’ve seen yet have been announced while other E&Ps have cut back their preliminary 2019 spending guidance. Check out the latest budgets and totals we are are tracking here… There’s a lot …
Read More »Permian Perspective Part One: Where We’ve Been, Thank Yous, & Full Throttle Local Sand Consumption
Our team’s week in the Permian Basin is flying by, and our notepad is filling up with boots-on-the-ground research takeaways. Here is our first round of observations from the world’s busiest oilfield… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and …
Read More »Notable People On The Move In The Oilfield Service Business [6 Recent Talent Shifts]
Talent is shifting. And it’s doing so with implications for value, trends and competitive dynamics. Here are the moves you need to know about… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a …
Read More »US Silica’s Intent Focus On SandBox Is Accompanied By A Realistic View On Local Sand [Live Blog Complete]
Every once in a while we “live-blog” earnings conference calls, sharing takeaways and highlighting what matters most seconds after management articulates their points. Today was one such occasion… and there were plenty of fireworks on this one. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… …
Read More »Permian Permits Powered Right On Through The Oil Price Storm
Each week we break down the rig count. Everyone can get their hands on the standard Baker Hughes rig count, but no one processes it week in and week out like the team here at Infill Thinking. And since we are spending a full week reporting from the road in …
Read More »Online Job Postings Suggest That A Monahans Local Sand Plant Is Getting Some Enhancements
A couple job openings posted online late last week caught our eye and tipped us off on a new development that may have been occurring under the radar. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …
Read More »It’s Official: Known 2019 US E&P Spending Programs Enter Contraction Territory
2019 E&P capex budget expectations have devolved fairly rapidly, worn down by macro erosion and crude oil price volatility. Over the past several months, multiple Infill Thinking updates have warned that 2019 E&P budgets (which initially pointed to spending increases) were at risk of contracting into negative territory in the …
Read More »The Curious Case Of Northern White Trains In February 2019
This is the talk around sand town in February 2019. It is interesting. And it may be too soon to stick a fork in NWS 40/70 just yet… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …
Read More »A New Local Sand Entity Is Emerging From A Big Metamorphosis At Preferred [Exclusive]
After hearing some rumblings about changes at Preferred Sands over the past week or two from industry contacts, we were able to contact new management and received a statement about the changes. Specifically, management told us: ….. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… …
Read More »US Onshore Drilling Outlook Remains “Fluid” Six Weeks Into 2019
Summarizing a leading land contract drillers’ rig count outlook, here are the most salient points from last week’s discussion…. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new …
Read More »Our Top 10 Takeaways From The Last Mile Logistics Panel
Last week at the frac sand conference hosted by Petroleum Connection in Houston, we moderated a discussion among four last mile logistics experts. Together, the firms represented on stage touch more than 20 million tons of frac sand per year in various capacities. This panel was a rare chance to …
Read More »New Ownership Targets Appalachian Completions Demand With A Small Ohio Sand Plant
We heard some chatter about local sand in the Appalachia at the Petroleum Connection’s frac sand conference in Houston last week, so we caught up the plant’s new ownership to learn more about the site and their frac sand ambitions. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see …
Read More »In Other News…. People On The Move, Belt Tightening, Pumping Outlook, Litigation, & Earnings Takeaways
While we were traveling gathering market intelligence and meeting with clients this week, some new developments crossed our desk that are worthy of comment. So here are five short stories… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our …
Read More »Sideline Stuff: Market Intel That Matters From Our Conversations With Industry Folks This Week
This week in Houston, we attended and participated in the sold-out frac sand and logistics conference. As usual, Pete Cook and his team at Petroleum Connection did a tremendous job organizing this event. As is often the case at these events, some of the most interesting datapoints we heard sprung …
Read More »Reaction To The Most Controversial Frac Sand Presentation This Week
This week, Covia advanced an argument they have been making on the speaker circuit for several months now, urging customers to use NWS rather than succumbing to the cost savings temptation of local sand. They also introduced a new argument questioning a well performance metric that we’ve never seen challenged before …
Read More »E&P Budget Revision Risk Bites
This week, a negative revision risk we’ve been highlighting surfaced in the form of a swing from growth to contraction. After digesting, we zoom out to look at US spending trends as a whole. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this …
Read More »Improving Oil Price May Slow The Pace Of Drilling Rig Releases In 1Q19
In our weekly rig count update this week, we digest a 2019 outlook from a leading land drilling contractor. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new …
Read More »Railing Local Sand Within Basin – We Continue Along This Train Of Thought
A couple weeks ago, we broke in with exclusive details on the first ever intra-basin rail movements of locally-mined Permian frac sand. In this post we take the analysis a step further as our prior reporting has triggered exploratory interest from many of our readers. There’s a lot more to …
Read More »Micro Proppant, HHP Orders, Direct Sourcing Details, Deflation, Majors In Shale, and Other Interesting Market Intel Tidbits This Week [Top 10 List]
Check out a top ten list of the latest market intel tidbits we rounded up this week… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill …
Read More »“Execution” Is Taking The Hand-Off From “Imagineering” In Completions Logistics [Last Mile Panel Preview]
Infill Thinking will participate in the Petroleum Connection’s sold-out Frac Sand Industry Update conference in Houston on February 6. Our founder, Joseph Triepke, will moderate the last mile & logistics panel at the event. Here is a preview of what’s on our mind headed into this discussion… There’s a lot more …
Read More »Heart Of Texas Railroad May Be Collateral Damage From The Brady Brown Shut Downs
The future of a piece of short line track has been jeopardized by the switch to local sand. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to …
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