Nimble and innovative, Integrated Drilling Equipment (IDE) of Spring, TX is not your “one size fits all” provider of API certified drilling rigs and their related components. Quite the opposite.

Established in 1991 by current majority owner and CEO Stephen Cope, IDE is vertically incorporated and includes subsidiaries IEC Systems, IDE Hydraulics Group, Advanced Rig Services (ARS) and IDE Capital Solutions. The company employs approximately 500 and maintains a 51,000sf manufacturing, fabrication and assembly plant from which it devises solutions for a North American and growing global client base. 

“The company was founded as an electric company (IEC Systems) and became successful providing electrical houses and drilling houses. In 2003, they acquired ARS. The idea was that the electric company was so successful that we also wanted to provide our customers with rigs,” says Polo Gutierrez, IDE’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and an industry veteran who previously held key management positions at Weatherford International and Tesco Corporation

 “We have a highly customizable product line. The customer decides what they want and we accommodate all of the different customer needs that we encounter,” says Gutierrez. “We identify the needs and work from that point of view instead of having a very strict product line that can’t be modified.”

Expanding Operations

Gutierrez says the current management team of Mr. Cope, President and COO Richard Dodson and Managing Director of Operations Tony Beebe reflects the company’s growing vision. “We’ve brought in people who had more experience in rig building and other areas in order to properly expand,” he says.

The 2003 acquisition of ARS launched Integrated Drilling Equipment’s multi-pronged expansion. Among its multiple services, ARS provides rig-up, rig refurbishment, rig modification, equipment procurement, testing and repair services, and design services for both land-based and offshore platform rigs.

“Nabors (Industries) was the first client and when they saw the work we do, we grew our portfolio to include the hydraulic division and services. The natural progression was to build our own rigs and that’s how we became what we are today,” Gutierrez recalls.

Industry leader IEC Systems specializes in silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) and variable frequency drive (VFD) rig systems. IEC provides motor control centers, driller’s controls and cabins, and the design, installation and repair of rig electrical systems.

Finally, IDE Hydraulics focuses on custom-built hydraulic power units and hydraulic rig solutions while IDE Capital Solutions operates as a financing partner and leasing services provider.

Premier IDE clients range from such Texas companies as Lewis Energy, Pioneer Drilling Company, Key Energy Services, Weatherford, Felderhoff Brothers, Big E Drilling and Bandera Drilling to an expanding portfolio of multi-nationals that includes Nabors Industries Ltd. (Bermuda), Tuscany Drilling (Canada), KCA Deutag (Scotland), Enafor (Algeria), Petrex and the Kuwait Drilling Company.

Gutierrez says Integrated Drilling Equipment routinely performs self-analysis to identify specific areas where it can improve efficiency, an ongoing exercise while instituting culture change and adopting Lean Manufacturing methodologies.

“For example, in the past all of our work was done at the pad. Now we do all the work in various parts of our yard. We are building in a more controlled environment and by the time the rig gets to the pad, it is done, waiting for the customer,” Gutierrez explains.

‘Rig of the Future’

Research and engineering is at the core of IDE’s operations. Designing and delivering a fully-automated, hands-free “Rig of the Future” is its ultimate goal.

“IDE is committed to creating a rig which takes that human error away and trusts the outcome to the machine that will basically require the push of a button,” says Gutierrez. “The more you automate the process, the more efficient it becomes and less drilling is required.”

That goes hand in hand with the company’s move toward sustainable practices. “The green aspect of a drilling rig is what we have in mind when we’re designing. Our customers are surprised that we offer engines that meet the most strict emission requirements,” Gutierrez.

The company’s product line includes Sparta Series rigs built for shorter drilling times. The flexible, modular design allows for quick transport when speed and efficiency are essential.  

The company has a patent pending on its Self Elevating Drilling System (SEDS) that, according to the company web site, “is a box-on-box substructure with a bootstrap style, vertically erecting mast.”  The Desert ONE series modular box style rig can be transported in a single load and is specifically suited for operating in a harsh environment.

Looking Forward

IDE will strive to expand its global presence, especially in South America, Europe and Asia. “We are already going that way – our offices are in the United States, but we have a lot of sales internationally,” Gutierrez points out.

“We are committed to improving the product we deliver to our customers. We have invested a lot of money in our facilities and to producing a better product. Automation is the big focus as we believe that is where the future is and that is where we want to be,” he concludes.