Infill Thinking Lifting the O&G knowledge curve

Just before the ball drops ushering in the new year, we are hearing about widespread supply chain disruption from seasonal driver shortages leaving frac crews unsanded in Texas. In this report, read full analysis including what’s going on, why, where, why it matters, and what’s next. There’s a lot more …

What’s in store for the oilfield service addressable market in 2019? We’ve got must-see data and analysis in this update as the outlook for next year is floating in uncertain waters at this point in time. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To …

During a busy 2018, Infill Thinking shipped approximately 100 e-newsletters, issued upwards of 350 research updates, and hosted 7 member meet-ups around the oilfield.  Membership on InfillThinking.com increased 50% in 2018, and our team grew too with key hires on our research desk and member relations department. We also launched a …

Environmental protection groups are seizing upon a lapse in a legal compromise (a lapse that Infill Thinking broke the news about five weeks ago) in their latest effort to apply pressure to the Feds to list the lizard as an endangered species. Punching above its weight, the little dunes sagebrush …

We break down the latest renegotiation in the frac sand industry, one of many we believe are either culminating or ongoing as a volatile year winds down. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you …

It isn’t always easy being small in a big space, but in the frac sand trucking business, small isn’t always bad, either. Our guest author today formed a sand hauling outfit with just a couple trucks in early-2015, just as oil prices began to plunge. Today, he is running 40 …

Click The Play Button Below And Crank Up The Volume https://www.infillthinking.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Its-Beginning-to-Look-Like-Optimization-Infill-Thinking.mp3 As You Listen… Adapting Christmas classics to oilfield trends is a holiday season tradition here at Infill Thinking. Last year was Twas The Frac Before Christmas. This year we found inspiration in the carol It’s Beginning To Look A Lot …

In this week’s weekly rig count update, we take a look at trends in DUC inventory. 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, …

In this update, we shine a spotlight on the latest high profile “talent swing” in the completions supply 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 must be a member. If you are new …

While there has been quite a bit of speculation over the buyer since we first reported the divestiture back in early-November, this is the first official confirmation. After making an important boots-on-the-ground observation over the weekend, we contacted a company spokesman and confirmed our firsthand observation. There’s a lot more …

Infill Thinking insights were cited in an in-depth article published by Wisconsin State Journal writer Chris Hubbuch over the weekend. In part, Hubboch’s story discusses how recent changes in rail service options available to Northern White Sand producers are rippling through the logistics value chain, quoting Infill Thinking research. We first …

In-basin mine operators faced with price pressure quickly turn their attention to driving down operating costs per ton. This can be a real challenge when operating in a tough environment, and compromising safety, quality, and capacity, is not an option. With supply outpacing demand, the pressure to become a low-cost …

Interested in the new entrants that are flying below the radar in the completions supply chain? Well… you’ve come to the right place. We’ve unearthed another new frac sand project that will likely come as a surprise to many market observers. In this update, you’ll find an exclusive report on …

We take a look at the drivers and stats on 2018’s banner year in the US onshore oil business. 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 …

The US onshore rig count has been basically flat since June of this year and is likely biased lower over the next several weeks as seasonality catches up with rig count. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and receive …

With 2019 planning season in full gear, decision makers and forecasters are grappling with commodity price cross-currents. As many market participants are now arriving at conclusions that will set the stage for the year-ahead, we thought it’d be useful context to take a look back at an outlook baseline set …

The water recycling stigma in the frac supply chain has been pretty much squashed this year. 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, …

The past couple years of shockingly expedient frac sand disruption has taught us to expect the unexpected and never say never. Could a new concept proposed by an Infill Thinking reader be the next big game-changing step change in this unbelievably dynamic market niche? There’s a lot more to this …

Guest Contributor Introduction From Joseph Triepke: Kicking off our Fridays In December 2018 guest post series is Jessica Barton, an E&P sourcing specialist with nearly a decade of supply chain management experience for leading operators in US shale. Jessica is currently the category manager for proppant and last mile logistics …

In Infill Thinking’s big 2019 logistics preview last week, one of the topics we broached was whether late entrants in the frac sand wellsite solutions market will be able to displace the incumbent new gen solutions. We wanted to elaborate on that a bit today. Is it enough to simply build …

When we attended the Petroleum Connection’s frac sand conference in San Antonio in late-October (the largest frac sand event in history by the way), one of our key takeaways from sideline conversations was… This prediction was confirmed this week, but more important than the confirmation was an indicator for 2019 …

When (not if) will the leading land drilling contractors make a hard push to be paid under a different model than the entrenched dayrate pricing framework? It’s a question we’ve wondered about for years now as we’ve watched land drilling rigs drill more and more wells per month, benefiting their …

Prior to 3Q18 earnings season, we singled out inventory trends for the frac sand producers as an underappreciated financial metric worth keeping an eye on. While many analysts do a good job of keeping up with volumes, pricing, and contribution margins, we believe that inventory balances and turns can also be …

As the tributes roll in for the late great 41st President of the United States, Infill Thinking remembers George H.W. Bush not only for his legendary record of service to this country but also for his roots as an oilman.   There’s a lot more to this story… Login to …

Throughout 2018, Infill Thinking has regularly surveyed production at local frac sand mines across the Permian mine-by-mine. In this update we show how effective supply has grown this year and discuss the importance and meaning of the trajectory.   There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the …

We recently had an opportunity to tour a local sand mine in Louisiana and learn from a management team who got their start in developing in-basin sand before it became a trend. Check out our takeaways and analysis of this mine and market here. There’s a lot more to this …

We are previewing key themes for 2019 that will help shape and influence last mile logistics for completions across the Lower 48. In this piece, we address how frac crew efficiency gains impact logistics, the first US last mile solution to go overseas, software, the biggest pain of direct sourcing, …

We are previewing key themes for 2019 that could influence last mile logistics for completions across the Lower 48. In this piece we share eight more themes with big implications There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and receive our research …

We are previewing key themes for 2019 that will help shape and influence last mile logistics for completions across the Lower 48. In this installment we share a half dozen key themes, including a list of up and comers to watch in this space, the importance of payload and what …

While touring the MidCon to gather market intelligence back in September, we picked up on the potential for a frac sand mine to open near Oklahoma City. This morning, we can confirm that intelligence after connecting with the management team behind the project. Get the details in the full report… …

In a three-part series starting with this update today, we preview cutting edge completions logistics themes to watch in 2019. In this part one, we discuss how industry perception of last mile logistics risk has changed (and why) along with a warning against complacency. We also discuss the cornucopia of …

This Thanksgiving, E&P C-Suites should invite their operations teams and pressure pumpers over for dinner. E&Ps have a lot to be grateful for this season in terms of the efficiencies they’ve been able to squeeze out of their spreads in 2018. Stages per day are rising. Zipper frac definition is …

The latest developments around the Texas Conservation Plan and interaction between the Texas Comptroller’s Office and US Fish and Wildlife Service could have big implications for legal protections in Permian O&G. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and receive …

Today, we thought it’d be interesting to take a look at a timeline of the last mile S-Curve shift. The result was interesting. 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 …

Over the weekend, we wrote about the closures at Covia’s Voca plants, which were subsequently announced by the company. But that’s not all… the Brady mothballing trend has escalated further this week… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and …

Covia management is hosting their 3Q18 earnings conference on Wednesday 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 Thinking, or your membership has expired, …

We recently caught up with the management team behind a permit we found back in August to learn about this new Eagle Ford project. Login to learn exclusive details about this one in the full update… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To …

Analysis of the breaking Pioneer news to divest their frac horsepower into the hands of a third-party with a long-term agreement to use the equipment here. This is a big one folks. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and …

We break down the breaking news as it happens. In this piece, you’ll find analysis posted minutes after the latest frac supply chain press release. No regurgitation of the release, just insights to help put it in context. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full …

We shine the spotlight on a leading indicator that gives us reason for cautious optimism about Permian activity in week’s rig count 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. …

Who’s closing down, how much sand has been mothballed, and why. We discuss for our members here… 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 …

In no particular order, here’s some stuff that matters about the frac supply 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 must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your …

There were no injuries reported and the crew was fully accounted for as of this writing. Thankfully. We want to lead with that detail as it is the most important one in this story. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this …

Reporting on Permian traffic incidents is a full time job these days, one that is best left in the capable hands of local news pros. So we don’t typically share everything that crosses our monitor on this front. But this is a big, disruptive incident involving new gen well site …

Something Emerge Energy Services said about negotiations with contracted customers on their volumes this week stood out to us. 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 …

The anti-frac measure on the Colorado ballot was soundly defeated on November 6, 2018. 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, or your …

As we prepare for a major Think Sheets release in the next week or so, we thought it’d be interesting to chart the appearance timeline of all the new mines that comprise the great frac sand rush of 2017/2018. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the …

In this week’s rig count update, some last minute thoughts on Prop 112 as it’s voting day. When the polls close this evening, Prop 112 will either fade from the discussion for a couple years, or it will be the only thing anyone in O&G is talking about. There’s a …

Following the big frac sand conference in San Antonio a couple weeks ago, a contingent of the Infill Thinking team invested some time doing boots on the ground research in the Louisiana Haynesville Shale. Here are some of the things we saw, heard, and learned There’s a lot more to …

The last mile replacement cycle may be ending, but Solaris has some revenue diversification initiatives up their sleeve that fit nicely with overarching themes in shale. In this update, we review four potential new growth opportunities for the company after spending a half day with the team recently to learn …