LLC "Discovery Drilling Equipment (Ukraine)" is a company that specializes in the development and manufacturing of drilling machines. The company has established a production line for modern drilling rigs in Western Ukraine, which is located at the facilities of the OJSC Stryi plant "Metalist". The plant was privatized by NADRA GROUP.
Perkins and Mackintosh, who were British citizens, established the first production facilities of the Stryi plant in 1885, with the aim of manufacturing drilling equipment in Galicia. Galicia was one of the major oil-and-gas-producing regions of Europe and the world during that period.
By 1946, the Stryi plant had 61 employees, and the total area of the plant's buildings was 28 thousand square meters. The plant underwent a complete reconstruction in 1986. Thereafter the plant became a leading enterprise of the Ministry of Geology of the USSR, a manufacturer of drilling machinery and equipment.
In the mid-1990s, the Stryi plant underwent a complete transformation as part of NADRA GROUP. This was driven by the urgent need to create a mineral resource base in the country and to provide geologists with modern technical means for drilling deep wells. Over time, the range of products manufactured by the plant was constantly updated and expanded, and it eventually numbered dozens of items.
During this period, the plant's specialists mastered new products and technological processes, increasing their technical and economic performance. The company released many new products, including hydraulic truck cranes AKS-12.5 on URAL-5557 chassis, well development and repair units AORS-60, cranes "Nadra", and drilling rigs VB-53. Since 1997, the company has been manufacturing and supplying drilling rigs and well repair machines to customers. The plant also mass-produced AORS-40, AORS-60, and AORS-80 units for the repair of oil and gas wells, as well as drilling units UB-60 based on AORS-60. During this period, the plant's products were in demand not only in Ukraine but also in the former Soviet countries.
In 2006, following the restructuring of NADRA GROUP, the manufacturing of drilling rigs was separated and established as a distinct line of business. This led to the creation of Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD, which began to operate under its own brand.
To develop a new generation of modern drilling rigs with a capacity of 125 to 1,000 tonnes, well repair machines, and related drilling equipment, the company established a powerful design bureau (DB).
To staff the design bureau, highly qualified specialists were invited from various countries, including the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and others.
Thanks to the efforts of the design bureau, the company was able to develop world-class technical documentation. In 2007, Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD was certified and received API (American Petroleum Institute) Monograms, which allowed the company to enter the global market.
One of the distinguishing features of Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD's drilling rigs and well repair machines was the use of the best components, mainly sourced from the USA and European countries. The construction was designed perfect simplicity, ensuring exceptional reliability in operation.
Despite being priced much lower than the products of the world's leading manufacturers, Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD's equipment was in no way inferior in terms of quality and performance.
Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD manufactured and delivered several drilling rigs with impressive capacities to various parts of the world. These included a stationary drilling rig with a lifting capacity of 450 tonnes, which was delivered to Nafta Pila (PGNiG GROUP) in Poland, a 600-tonne capacity rig commissioned by KCA Deutag for use in Nigeria, and a stationary drilling rig that was sent to Kazakhstan. Additionally, the company also manufactured three 350-tonne polar drilling rigs and two 600-tonne desert drills for Weatherford.
In 2011, Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD manufactured and delivered drilling mud cleaning equipment to Germany, which was ordered by Max Streicher. Additionally, the company supplied components for a drilling rig with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes on an offshore platform in Indonesia.
Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD continued to design and manufacture drilling rigs for both domestic and international clients. Two mobile drilling rigs with a capacity of 125 tonnes, as well as one with a capacity of 136 tonnes, were designed and manufactured for Ukrainian private companies. The company also produced two complete sets of stationary drilling rigs with a lifting capacity of 500 and 650 tonnes for the Ukrainian drilling company "Ukrburservis". One of these rigs drilled a well with a depth of 6,620 meters. Prior to this, the company had manufactured its stationary drilling rigs exclusively for export.
The company has manufactured a total of 60 well overhaul machines.
Today, Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD (Ukraine) is a company in the development and manufacture of complete drilling rigs and components for drilling and maintenance of oil and gas wells. With its own engineering designs, a multinational team of experienced specialists, and production facilities based in Ukraine, Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD manufactures a wide range of world-class mobile and stationary drilling rigs.
Discovery Drilling Equipment LTD has supplied drilling rigs, well overhaul machines, and related equipment to various countries, including the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Nigeria, Oman, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Turkmenistan. The company has also been commissioned to manufacture modern drilling rigs by some of the world's leading companies, such as Star Energy Ltd (Great Britain), Oil & Gas Drilling Company "NAFTA" (Poland), Weatherford Drilling International Ltd (Kuwait, Colombia), and Max Streicher (Germany). The company's products are used to provide services to industrial giants like BP, Shell, Chevron, and others.