Infill Thinking Lifting the O&G knowledge curve

Last Thursday, Infill Thinking broke the news about a ruling in a key last mile logistics battle after digging through court records to uncover an unsigned order from a judge. Today, other channels are also reporting this news as one of the parties involved has spoken out. There’s a lot more …

In our Friday morning newsletter and a post on Thursday, we previewed this Friday and next Friday’s rig count releases as two of the most important to monitor all year. We noted that the rig count surprisingly hadn’t fallen in reaction to crude prices and pointed out that if it …

Oilfield earnings season is underway. We provide our key takeaways from the first earnings call of the season, boiling down an hour-long call into a 5-minute read of pithy points. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update…  To read this update and receive our …

There’s some big news breaking in one of the longest running completions logistics legal battles. 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 …

Rig count still matters and we frame thinking about the next couple releases in 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 to Infill Thinking, …

Last October, we published research introducing the idea of railing locally-mined West Texas frac sand within the Permian Basin. At the time, we wrote that the concept could gain traction in 2019. It has gained traction. We’ve learned new and exclusive details about the concept’s adoption… log in to read. There’s …

Direct sourcing in the supply chain may feel like it’s been around forever since “everybody’s doing it” now. But it’s actually still very new and the repercussions are still reverberating. In the wake of a flurry of direct sourcing headlines in recent weeks, we thought it’d be interesting to put …

In mid-December, Infill Thinking drew a conclusion based on a sighting of physical evidence we observed in the field. This week, we close the loop on that report with additional photographs (and this time they are conclusive, not speculative). There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the …

The US onshore rig count per Baker Hughes GE was up 2 rigs last week to 1,052 active. What gives? 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 …

They’re coming in so fast that it’s hard to keep up… don’t worry, we’ve got it documented, mapped, broken down, and analyzed for you 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 …

Today, we extend our coverage of the 2019 oilfield outlook by responding to a question readers have recently asked us about the addressable market for frac 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 …

If you pay close attention to the sand and logistics space, then you have probably noticed that lots of specialized firms are press releasing contracts with one particular operator lately. Why? How? What’s next? If you are wondering, you oughta read this. There’s a lot more to this story… Login …

In light of recent contract enforcement news, we constructed this time series on a sand producer’s key customers. 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 …

WTI at $42 on Christmas Eve was something that that almost no one expected on Halloween. The chief debate that oilfield suppliers are grappling with in early-January is how macro volatility will impact 2019 E&P capex spending, and as such, jolt the addressable US onshore market. We provide analysis in …

After much hand wringing over the budget exhaustion trend, onshore drilling escaped relatively unscathed into the new year. We discuss that and what’s next… 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 …

Well, you’ve got to hand it to this CEO for being a man of his word. We break down the latest contract news in the oilfield service space as things are getting ugly amid market deterioration. Don’t miss our bullet point analysis of the implications of this news. There’s a …

In addition to the deeper Infill Thinking research updates published this week, a few other quick hits crossed our desk that are worth a mention. 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 …

Equally as important as the 2019 spending program figures being released this season is the accompanying management commentary. In fact, this is actually more important than the headline numbers in some cases. We discuss what has caught our eye so far in the 2019 planning season and also provide readers …

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 …