Schlumberger

[Pete]

Schlumberger -- the world's largest oilfield services company -- is building a large office and manufacturing facility in far west Oklahoma City for it's PathFinder division.

PathFinder makes tools which are used to steer horizontal wells, an increasingly common strategy in oilfields.

When contacted, Schlumberger corporate communications issued the following statement: "No details on this facility are being released at the moment."

However, the location of at the southwest corner of NW 10th and Sara Road is already being cleared and we have obtained construction plans shown below. A building permit application was filed in June for $17 million for a combination of offices and manufacturing facilities. Building permits do not include the cost of land or furniture, fixtures and equipment, which can often double the total cost of a project.

The facility will sit on 40 acres with 22 acres being dedicated for this facility. The plans show a "future drive" to link to the remaining acreage to the east, presumably for expansion at a later date.

The plans also show approximately 200 parking spaces (with expansion of parking also shown) and 200 lockers; based on the size of the facility it will likely employ approximately 150 with the capacity for significantly more. Presently, Schlumberger has a small amount of employees in Oklahoma City at two different locations.

Oklahoma City continues to see substantial construction and employment around oilfield services. There are many smaller companies located in this same general area and the new Baker Hughes Campus was recently announced at Broadway Extension and the Kilpatrick Turnpike.

http://www.slb.com/

PathFinder Facility in Katy, Texas (front building and parking lot very similar to first phase of OKC plans):

[Pete]

Bumping this up.

[Bellaboo]

I noticed this land cleared the other day, also a large building is being built at Mustang Road and 10th, southeast corner next to the 7/11.

[Pete]

I noticed this land cleared the other day, also a large building is being built at Mustang Road and 10th, southeast corner next to the 7/11.

Yet another substantial project out in that area; it's actually just inside the OKC city limits but in Canadian County. The 7/11 is in the upper right hand corner of the drawing below.

That will be a 3-building complex for Scientific Drilling out of Houston. $4 million in building permits and about 81,000 square feet of space:

[OKCisOK4me]

That's Scientific...

[fromdust]

We're always doing it big. All day, every day. Go big blue!

[NWOKCGuy]

Schlumberger increasing their presence is huge.

[Pete]

Schlumberger increasing their presence is huge.

Yep.

They are a massive enterprise and their current presence in OKC is very limited.

And remember, PathFinder is just one of many divisions. I suspect this is the beginning of much more to come.


BTW, Schlumberger is notoriously tight-lipped. Not only would they not comment on this facility already under construction, neither Cathy O'Connor or Brent Bryant had heard about this project, as I spoke to both.

Very different from how Baker Hughes has operated both in promoting their new facilities and jobs and in seeking incentives.

[fromdust]

Yep.

They are a massive enterprise and their current presence in OKC is very limited.

And remember, PathFinder is just one of many divisions. I suspect this is the beginning of much more to come.


BTW, Schlumberger is notoriously tight-lipped. Not only would they not comment on this facility already under construction, neither Cathy O'Connor or Brent Bryant had heard about this project, as I spoke to both.

Very different from how Baker Hughes has operated both in promoting their new facilities and jobs and in seeking incentives.

I hadn't even heard about it and I work for them lol.

[OkieNate]

Yep.

They are a massive enterprise and their current presence in OKC is very limited.

And remember, PathFinder is just one of many divisions. I suspect this is the beginning of much more to come.

BTW, Schlumberger is notoriously tight-lipped. Not only would they not comment on this facility already under construction, neither Cathy O'Connor or Brent Bryant had heard about this project, as I spoke to both.

Very different from how Baker Hughes has operated both in promoting their new facilities and jobs and in seeking incentives.

Do you think this is the first "bonus" we are seeing from the GE oil and gas R&D, or would this have happened regardless of GE?

[DoctorTaco]

Schlumberger increasing their presence is huge.

Agreed. Like Pete said this is nearly as big a deal as the Baker Hughes thing and with none of the fanfare. OKC becoming a hub for oil and gas manufacturing is a huge, huge win for us. Diversification away from oil and gas E&P is good (even though this is only a small degree different, it is different).

[Urbanized]

All I know about Schlumberger is that every time I have something at the sandblaster and go out to check on why it's taking so long, there is some giant, blue unidentifiable (by me) hunk of iron that has been pushed in front of my job. Oil field is king at the sandblaster. Thanks for bringing us your cute little boat, we'll get to it eventually. Unless another blue hunk of junk rolls in.

[bombermwc]

I wonder why they didn't look at the old Firestone or Lucent plants? They've both got huge amounts of space already built. I can't imagine the renovation of the warehouse/office spaces would be less than starting from square one?

[CurtisJ]

Do you think this is the first "bonus" we are seeing from the GE oil and gas R&D, or would this have happened regardless of GE?

From my (very limited) knowledge of the two developments, I don't think they can be linked together. GE O&G and SLB are primary competitors in several of their respective businesses. The steerable drilling business however is an area where GE is completely absent (for now). I don't see the GE research facility investing in research related to steerable drilling if it does not relate to an existing GE business.

I do think it is very promising that 3 of the 4 largest oil services companies in the world have announced major developments in OKC in the last year... (looks expectantly at Halliburton...)

[Pete]

The OKC metro area is developing a very powerful industrial/distribution/maintenance base of employment at either end of I-40.

To the east, you have the Tinker / Boeing monster -- the largest employer in OKC -- set to grow even more substantially in the near future, especially with the acquisition of the rail yard between Tinker and the old GM plant.

And to the west, you have Hobby Lobby which is now the largest private employer in town (they are nearing 8 million SF of space), plus Xerox and a ton of distribution and oilfield services companies.

And in the middle, you have downtown, the Health Sciences Center and the capitol complex with an ever-growing array of professional jobs.


This is all starting to feel like the Internet bubble in 2000 where there seemed to be no end in sight. Fortunately for OKC, we are far more diversified than ever before but you do have to wonder how long this unprecedented run of good fortune will last. Economies are always, always cyclical.

[Pete]

The land has been cleared for the Schlumberger project (thanks to Bellaboo for the photos):



And here is the Scientific Drilling project at that same intersection (NW 10th & Sara Road):

[ChrisHayes]

I've been wondering how this project, the Baker Hughes project, and that one up on Britton where that other oil field manufacturer is going to build.

[OKCisOK4me]

Scientific is at NW 10TH just east of Mustang Road/Yukon Parkway...practically a mile and a half to the west of where Schlumberger is.

[HangryHippo]

I've been wondering how this project, the Baker Hughes project, and that one up on Britton where that other oil field manufacturer is going to build.

Is something up with the Baker Hughes project? People have been asking about it in Steve's weekly chats. Just wondering if there had been some news I missed.

[Bellaboo]

Scientific is at NW 10TH just east of Mustang Road/Yukon Parkway...practically a mile and a half to the west of where Schlumberger is.

Not to be too picky here, but it's actually a little less than a mile to the west.....just to clarify

[progressiveboy]

Good to see these companies invest and grow the economy. Bodes well for OKC, however, as Pete stated the economy is very cyclical and makes me think how long will the good times roll for the oil patch? Would love to see OKC become more diversified such as banking, insurance, financial and land 3-4 major headquarters. It could happen! If Dallas attracts HQ's on a frequent basis, then OKC should get a slice of the pie. Just my opinion of course.

[fromdust]

I do think it is very promising that 3 of the 4 largest oil services companies in the world have announced major developments in OKC in the last year... (looks expectantly at Halliburton...)

3 of the 4? SLB being the largest. Baker is 3rd or 4th and Weatherford is in there I believe. GE may be a giant company but GE oil and gas? Not that big. Halliburton is building a huge yard near El Reno where the other service companies have yards. From what I've heard largest in the region.

[OKCisOK4me]

I know. By the time I realized I had posted wrong, I couldn't edit it. Trust me, I know. I work at Sara & Reno. I know WTHeck is going on around me...especially in the oil industry since that is the field I am currently specializing in.

My phone is being a POS interacting with this website without Tapatalk, so forgive my disorganization of your quote:

Not to be too picky here, but it's actually a little less than a mile to the west.....just to clarify

[Pete]

Thanks to Bellaboo for the photo. They are moving right along:

[Mel]

Passed by this a couple of days a couple of days ago. Looks impressive. The wife asked me what it was and I told her I would be able to come to this forum and find out.