WorldWide Drilling Resource

63 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® FEBRUARY 2015 The Competitive Edge Adapted from Information Provided by Mills Machine Company In the Oklahoma City area, there are approximately 96 water well drilling companies. Though the recession and its aftermath have not hit the heartland as hard as the coasts, even stronger markets like Oklahoma City have seen sharp declines in housing starts, result- ing in fewer water well and other drilling opportunities. Understandably, competition for jobs is fierce. Many drilling profession- als find themselves clamoring for a “competitive edge,” anything to distin- guish their company from the competi- tion. It’s an uncomfortable and perhaps unsustainable situation. Take Aqua Well Drilling of Harrah, Oklahoma, for example: Established in 1971, these intrepid drilling contractors found themselves in a challenging situ- ation. Making hole at 75 feet an hour was no way to distinguish Aqua Well Drilling from its competitors. Aqua Well’s Beau Baker became aware of housing developments sprout- ing in Edmond, Oklahoma. While he saw tremendous opportunity for growth, he also recognized the need to increase productivity to win business. He went to Mills Machine Company of Shawnee, Oklahoma, for help. Tricone bits had long been king in the Oklahoma City area, but they were losing ground to recent innovations. After care- ful examination, Beau decided to go with the revolutionary MILCLAW ® bit from Mills Machine Company. The MILCLAW is a versatile bit utilizing field-replaceable carbide-tipped bullets arranged aggres- sively on a 4140 alloy steel body. It is designed for both durability and rapid penetration. Overnight, Beau’s production im- proved dramatically. Eventually, the com- pany increased drill footage to over 200 feet an hour. Aqua Well’s increased production and professionalism caught the eye of several real estate developers and the rest is history. The company is now one of the premier dri l l ing outfits in the Oklahoma City area. In today’s market, it’s great to be booked up. Aqua Well has one bit with 140,000 feet on it, a fact that says a lot about the MILCLAW. As Beau puts it, “If the Mills Machine MILCLAW. isn’t the number one best-selling water well bit in the market, it damn sure should be.”