BICO Drilling Tools marks 35 years by vertically integrating operations, expanding technology, and strengthening customer partnerships
This year, January 19th, at 1:30 in the morning. I know the time because I was standing next to the machine when the stator came out.”
For Troy Hill, President of BICO Drilling Tools (BICO), that moment was much more than launching a new capability. It was the result of a 91-day sprint that brought a key operation under BICO’s control and opened a new chapter.
Earlier this year, BICO moved stator relining from Germany to its own Houston based relining center, BICO Power, cutting average turnaround times from 135 days to just 17. This shift is part of a bigger push for hands-on control, investment in technology, and faster customer service, especially now, as drilling operators want more say in the tools and technologies they use on their wells.
The Houston project shows how Troy approaches leadership. With a career spanning field operation, engineering, manufacturing, and commercial roles, and a view of the industry from the rig site to the boardroom, he focuses equally on execution and strategy. That mindset is shaping BICO as operators demand more input and visibility into drilling technology performance.
Troy says BICO’s history is still at the heart of who they are. “BICO started in Houston in 1991 as an underground boring company. Then we moved on to building our own positive-displacement motors and power sections for the oil field around 1993. Thirty-five years later, we’re still a manufacturer, not just a rental company that buys tools from someone else. We reline our own stators, design and build our own motors, as well as repair and rebuild them in our own shops every day.”
Growth driver
Today, BICO supplies customers across North America and serves international markets through operations in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. SBO AG, formerly Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment, gives BICO access to manufacturing expertise and investment, while local teams keep control of decisions.
BICO’s market has changed a lot in recent years. Directional drilling contractors used to make up most of BICO’s customer base. Now, operators are taking a hands-on approach to choosing technology, selecting individual providers rather than bundled solutions. “The legacy for both models stays the same: answer the phone and deliver what customers need. Whether it’s a directional company or an operator’s drilling engineer requesting a specific motor, that promise never changes. Keeping that focus as we grow is what matters most to me.”
The industry’s purchasing dynamics aren’t what they were when BICO built its business serving directional drilling contractors. “Why am I paying for a tool I have no visibility into and no say over, instead of choosing the one I want? We were willing to have that conversation more than the rest of the industry, and that’s really what’s helped us shift to an operator model that works.”
Today, that experience shapes how BICO responds to changing customer expectations while continuing to invest in its core technologies.
As operators become more selective about the technologies they run, BICO is doubling down on the area where Troy believes it has the strongest case. “We’re not the cheapest motor on the market, and we don’t ever intend to be. We compete on technology and performance. Neither Even Wall technology nor the Houston relining facility was a cheap option at the time, but both are the right option.”
Few products illustrate BICO’s technology-first approach more clearly than the Rocket motor platform. Designed for extended-reach applications, the product line has become a significant growth driver as operators continue pushing drilling programs further. “These motors, available in 5.25”, 6.63”, 7.25”, 8.25” sizes, set record after record in North America. We’re adding to that fleet every day because, frankly, we’re sold out almost every day. Our customers recognize the performance they’re getting from those products, and the demand for them is continuous.”
BICO Power Reline Center builds on this focus. Instead of reinventing an established process, BICO replicated its standards and eliminated logistical bottlenecks. The company invested in the facility and infrastructure, tooling, equipment, and expertise, bringing in the team responsible for the process in Germany to train the team in Houston. “It was super important to me that the only thing that changed was the location. The process, the procedures, the quality, the materials we use, all of it remains exactly the same as our customers have come to expect from BICO.”
Close relationships
Bringing the operation home fundamentally changed how BICO manages the process. “Today, we’re in control of the entire process. Everything sits under one roof. That gives us visibility into where the bottlenecks are and allows us to fix them in the same week instead of the next quarter.” BICO’s growth strategy extends beyond its own product development pipeline. The company is building a broader ecosystem around its drilling technologies, using partnerships to bring complementary tools to customers through a single commercial relationship. “Both of these came out of customer requests. We didn’t go hunting. Our customers are always looking for better components to complete their BHAs. We have motors, rotary steerable systems (RSS), and pressure-bypass subs with our PBL product line. By adding exclusive distributorship deals with Redback Drilling Tools and Wellbore Debris Solutions we added two product lines that offer us the best filter subs, reamers, and stabilizers that are on the market today.”
Making life easier for customers has also become a driving force behind BICO’s closer relationship with D-Tech. “BICO builds motors and power sections. D-Tech builds a rotary steerable system. We’re not blending those product lines. We’re combining forces where it makes sense. One point of contact, one field service organization, and we’re aligning our engineering so that the tools are designed to work together in the same assembly rather than just being made to fit after the fact.”
The changes are designed to be felt on the rig site rather than in the boardroom. “That means our customer has got fewer people to deal with, fewer vendors to coordinate on location, and one number to call if something goes wrong.”
Setting trends
As BICO expands relining capacity, grows the Rocket fleet, develops new distribution partnerships, and supports D-Tech’s next-generation rotary steerable program, Troy is quick to share the credit. “None of this was done by me. From the time we started the project to move the reline center from Germany to the US to the production of the first stator in the US: 91 days. That was a monumental achievement, and the group that did it, I’m extremely proud to be a part of, but they deserve the credit.”
Whether discussing manufacturing, product development, or customer relationships, Troy’s priorities remain remarkably consistent. “I want BICO to continue to be known as a technology leader in power sections and motors. We’re not an alternative. We are a trendsetter. We are the benchmark we like to be for the market. The performance you receive from our tools is something that sets us apart, and I think the industry recognizes that.”
