Infill Thinking Lifting the O&G knowledge curve

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… To read …

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… To read this update …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …

Covia management is hosting their 3Q18 earnings conference on Wednesday morning. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current members login here.) Subscribers get Exclusive research update newsletters High-caliber, data-driven analysis and commentary New angles …

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… To read this update and receive our research …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be …

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… To read this update and receive …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current members login here.) Subscribers get Exclusive research update newsletters …

In no particular order, here’s some stuff that matters about the frac supply chain… There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current members login here.) Subscribers get Exclusive research update newsletters High-caliber, data-driven analysis and …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you …

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… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current members login here.) Subscribers get Exclusive …

The anti-frac measure on the Colorado ballot was soundly defeated on November 6, 2018. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current members login here.) Subscribers get Exclusive research update newsletters High-caliber, data-driven analysis and …

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… To read this update …

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 …

About this time last year, Infill Thinking member Paul Sparks penned a guest post this website titled Independent E&P Consolidation Is The Future, Is 2018 The Year? His case for consolidation turned out to be prophetic. We discuss the implications of three E&P M&A deals this week alone… There’s a lot more to this …

The term “Budget Exhaustion” has caught on like wildfire on OFS and E&P calls alike over the past few weeks. We provide context around the concept (and conversation) in this update. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a …

With stories like this that can’t be found anywhere else, why would you go anywhere else for your completions supply chain news and analysis? There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, …

It’s earnings season and if your office looks anything like ours, you’re probably up to your eyeballs in reading material. So we’ll cut to the chase There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial …

Last week’s frac sand conference in San Antonio, hosted by the Petroleum Connection, featured some of the most thoughtful logistics panels that we’ve seen at any oilfield industry event. With three panels on focused squarely on logistics, trucking and sand handling issues featured prominently into the discussion at the trade …

We are able to offer some timely context for the supply chain and procurement implications of this morning’s big M&A news in E&P. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew …

The old Keystone pipeline debate from the past several years doesn’t hold a candle to this one. In fact, the most recent analog we can think of is the 2010 Gulf of Mexico drilling moratorium imposed by the Obama administration in the wake of the Macondo tragedy. Yet even that …

The Lower 48 market share battle in frac sand’s last mile has escalated again. Last week, we learned about three new gen solutions that are now targeting customer wellsites in the Lower 48 for the first time. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research …

This week, the Infill Thinking team attended and participated in the largest annual conference in the frac sand industry, which was hosted by the Petroleum Connection in San Antonio. Between serving as Master of Ceremonies for the conference and moderating an in-basin sand panel, our busy team met with many …

Halliburton reported earnings Monday morning and hosted their quarterly conference call with investors. Here are four things to know from their remarks. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current …

In part three of our industry survey results presentation, we share what a whole bunch of smart Infill Thinking members think about key issues in the hydraulic fracturing market. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If …

In part two of our industry survey results presentation, we share how a whole bunch of smart Infill Thinking members shake out on key 2019 frac sand market debates. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If …

This month, we asked Infill Thinking members a series of questions about the outlook for 2019. Our survey honed in on key debates in the turbulent US onshore oilfield service business. A whole bunch of smart people weighed in; here’s what they had to say… just as year-ahead planning starts …

Today marks an important milestone for the team here at Infill Thinking. This is the two-year anniversary of our very first oilfield research newsletter. As we paused to take a walk back down memory lane by revisiting Issue Number 1 this morning, we were overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude and …

By this time next year, you may be hearing a whole lot more about a new way to move local sand. In this Thinking Ahead update, we “do the numbers” on a cutting edge idea in sand logistics. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our …

We take a look behind the curtain at some key trends in frac water. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current members login here.) Subscribers get Exclusive research update newsletters High-caliber, data-driven analysis and …

In this week’s weekly rig count, we check out some key unconventional drilling trends during 3Q18 across the major US shale plays. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a subscriber. If your free trial has expired, renew here. (Current …

Our channel checks reveal that the pain being felt by Northern frac sand producers continues to escalate at a rapid pace. Read the latest developments in the supply stack disruption rippling through this important completions segment here. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our …

At Infill Thinking, we are very aware of what our greatest asset is. Without a doubt it is our members roster. We are honored to have on this list some of the most accomplished executives in the US onshore business. Soon the rest of the oilfield market will shift their …

Even though WTI oil prices were strong during 3Q18 (consistently trading near $70/bbl), the quarter was extremely volatile in the Lower 48 oilfield service marketplace. It was a quarter marred by what can best be described as mid-cycle turbulence. Oilfield service and product pricing came under pressure across multiple completions-related …

In addition to the deeper Infill Thinking research updates published this week, a few other quick hits crossed our desk that are worthy of comment. So here are four short stories… There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a …

As many readers know by now, there have been rumblings about some big changes happening at the company in recent days. We have learned more about what has transpired and what to expect going forward. There’s a lot more to this story… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, …

Rig consolidation is back in the headlines this week after a big deal offshore on Monday (Ensco and Rowan merged). Although it’s received less attention, consolidation has picked up in onshore drilling too, with two material deals in the past three months. So this week, we took a look at …