What Laney Directional Drilling Co. does

Laney Directional Drilling Co. is a privately held trenchless construction and engineering firm headquartered in Waller, Texas, founded in 1989 alongside the emergence of Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology. The company executes underground pipeline, conduit, and cable installations without traditional trench excavation using two principal methods: HDD (drilling a pilot hole, enlarging it with sequential reaming passes, and pulling pipe back through) and Direct Pipe (a single-pass approach combining microtunneling and HDD using a steerable tunnel boring machine). Laney deploys custom-built Herrenknecht HK750PT thruster and clamp equipment with an AVN 1000 TBM and a proprietary Derrick Direct Pipe Cleaning System, supported by in-house engineering tools for hydraulic fracture risk evaluation and Direct Pipe design. Projects span 20- to 60-inch diameters, lengths up to and beyond 7,000 feet, and environments including rivers, highways, levees, and environmentally sensitive shorelines.

The company operates as an integrated Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) prime contractor, delivering projects under single contracts ranging from $2 million to $50 million. It serves oil and gas operators (ExxonMobil, Shell, Kinder Morgan, Williams, Enbridge, Petrobras, Pemex, Petronas), electric utilities (American Electric Power, Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, FPL), telecommunications carriers, government agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Air Force, multiple municipalities), and emerging offshore wind developers. Customer engagement is entirely direct, through project bids, competitive tenders, and negotiated contracts, with no channel intermediaries. Geographic reach extends across 40 U.S. states and 13 countries on 6 continents, supported by 238 international crossings and engineering licensure in 27 states.

Laney's revenue mechanics are entirely project-based, with pricing driven by project complexity, diameter, length, subsurface conditions, and equipment requirements. The company has completed 3,309 trenchless crossings totaling 1,134 miles of pipeline, 400 major river crossings, and 102 crossings over 5,000 feet. Notable commercial achievements include the 2018 Valley Crossing world-record Direct Pipe installation (4,900-foot, 42-inch diameter steel pipe shore approach, awarded Project of the Year by Trenchless Technology Magazine) and the 2018 acquisition of JM Drilling Services International, Inc., which expanded international HDD capabilities. The firm refinanced its capital structure with a $13.75 million term loan from Tiger Finance in December 2021 to support continued growth.

Name

Laney Directional Drilling Co.

Legal name

Laney Directional Drilling Co.

Website

https://laneydrilling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Laney Directional Drilling Co. is a private trenchless construction and engineering firm providing Horizontal Directional Drilling and Direct Pipe pipeline installation for oil and gas, power utilities, government, and offshore wind clients across North America and internationally via integrated EPC contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trenchless Pipeline Construction Services

NAICS

Oil and Gas Pipeline and Related Structures Construction (237120), Drilling Oil and Gas Wells (213111), Water and Sewer Line and Related Structures Construction (237110)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389), Drilling Oil & Gas Wells (1381)

akta.pro primary industry

Directional Drilling & MWD/LWD Services (EUALABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pipeline Construction & Right-of-Way Services (EUALADAL), Cable Installation & Construction Services (trenching, duct banks, HDD, pulling, cable laying) (EUADADAI)

Keywords

• Horizontal directional drilling
• Trenchless pipeline installation
• Direct pipe installation
• Underground pipeline construction
• Trenchless engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Contracts: Laney serves as the prime contractor delivering integrated engineering, procurement, and construction services for trenchless projects under a single contract. Projects range from $2 million to $50 million in budget, covering HDD crossings from 20- to 60-inch diameters using small and maxi rigs domestically and internationally.
2. Horizontal Directional Drilling Services: Project-based revenue from executing HDD installations for clients across oil and gas, power, utilities, telecom, water, and other sectors. Revenue is earned on a per-project basis, with pricing based on project complexity, diameter, length, subsurface conditions, and equipment requirements.
3. Direct Pipe Installation Services: Project-based revenue from Direct Pipe method deployments, used when site conditions make HDD impractical or risky. Typically applied to large-diameter crossings (42-inch and above) under levees, environmentally sensitive areas, and shore approaches. 11 Direct Pipe installations completed worldwide totaling approximately 23,000 feet of pipeline.
4. Standalone Trenchless Engineering Services: Laney provides engineering design services as a licensed engineering firm in 27 states. Services include subsurface exploration programs, hydraulic fracture risk evaluation, HDD plan and profile design optimization, drilling fluid program design, and temporary workspace planning. Can be provided as standalone engineering contract or integrated with construction services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Laney Directional Drilling Co. provides integrated engineering, design, and trenchless construction services for underground pipeline, conduit, and cable installations. The company executes Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and Direct Pipe crossings under rivers, highways, levees, and environmentally sensitive areas for oil and gas, power, utilities, telecommunications, water, and government clients. Services are delivered as standalone engineering contracts or as single-contract EPC projects ranging from $2 million to $50 million in budget.

Product overview

Laney Directional Drilling Co. is a trenchless construction and engineering firm offering an integrated portfolio of services centered on Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and Direct Pipe methods. The core services are complemented by in-house Engineering and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, & Construction) capabilities, allowing the company to provide design, procurement, and construction execution under one contract. HDD is the primary method for installing underground infrastructure without excavation, while Direct Pipe offers a single-pass alternative combining microtunneling and HDD techniques for challenging conditions such as levee crossings and environmentally sensitive areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Direct Pipe: A trenchless pipeline installation method combining microtunneling and HDD technology for single-pass pipe installation under environmentally sensitive areas.

Products and services

• Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) A trenchless method of installing underground pipes, conduits, or cables without traditional trench excavation. HDD involves drilling a pilot hole along a designed path, enlarging it with sequential reaming passes, and pulling the pipe back through the prepared hole. Laney executes HDD crossings for oil and gas, power, utilities, telecom, water, and government clients using small and maxi rigs domestically and internationally, supported by an engineering team licensed in 27 states.
• Direct Pipe Installation An advanced single-pass trenchless method that combines microtunneling and HDD into a continuous process using a steerable tunnel boring machine-cutting head that simultaneously excavates and pushes pipe into place. Laney's Direct Pipe installations typically serve large-diameter crossings (42-inch and above) under levees, environmentally sensitive areas, and shore approaches. The company deploys a custom-built Herrenknecht HK750PT thruster and clamp with Herrenknecht AVN 1000 TBM and a proprietary Derrick Direct Pipe Cleaning System.
• Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Services Comprehensive project delivery in which Laney serves as prime contractor for integrated engineering, procurement, and construction services under a single contract. The EPC model reduces interface risk for clients, provides single-point accountability, and typically includes HDD or Direct Pipe installation as the construction scope.
• Trenchless Engineering Services Licensed engineering design services for trenchless pipeline installations, available standalone or integrated with construction. Services include subsurface exploration programs, hydraulic fracture risk evaluation using Laney's proprietary software, HDD plan and profile design optimization, drilling fluid program design, and temporary workspace planning. The firm is licensed to provide engineering services in 27 states.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,309 trenchless crossings completed totaling 1,134 miles of pipeline over 35 years
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers47 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JM Drilling Services International, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2018Laney Group acquired JM Drilling Services International, Inc. in December 2018. The company's founder, Jimmy Maingot (Vice President of Operations at Laney), established JM Drilling in 1999 and grew it into a multi-million-dollar corporation over 20 years. Jimmy has executed over 500 projects in 22 countries across 6 continents and is recognized as one of the industry's most competent HDD professionals. The acquisition expanded Laney's capabilities and international project experience.
• Herrenknecht Tunneling SystemscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Laney utilizes custom-built Herrenknecht equipment including the HK750PT thruster and clamp and AVN 1000 TBM for Direct Pipe installations. This partnership enabled Laney to set the world record for Direct Pipe installations. Herrenknecht developed the Direct Pipe technology in the early 2000s and continues to make innovations including jet pump technology and modified MTBM seals. Laney is the leading Direct Pipe contractor in North America utilizing this technology.
• Strike, LLCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2012Strike, LLC collaborated with Laney on the Valley Crossing Project, which set the world record for Direct Pipe installation. Strike provided services as part of the project team for this complex offshore shore approach pipeline installation.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Quanta Services: Quanta is the largest specialty infrastructure contractor in North America, with extensive underground utility, pipeline, and electric transmission capabilities. Overlaps with Laney on utility HDD and pipeline construction but operates across a much broader portfolio (transmission, distribution, renewables, telecom).
• Primoris Services Corporation: Primoris is a publicly traded infrastructure construction firm operating across pipeline, utility, and civil markets. Competes with Laney on pipeline construction and underground utility work, though trenchless is one of many service lines within its broader portfolio.
• MasTec: MasTec is a large publicly traded infrastructure construction services firm covering pipeline, power delivery, communications, and clean energy. While not a trenchless specialist, it competes with Laney on utility and pipeline EPC scopes and has significant scale advantages on larger programs.

Others

• Vermeer Corporation: Vermeer is a major manufacturer of HDD rigs and equipment and also operates an underground installation contracting business. While primarily an equipment supplier to Laney and the broader trenchless industry, its contracting arm competes for utility-scale HDD work and shapes the technology landscape Laney operates in.

Regional players

• Visser & Smit Hanab: Visser & Smit Hanab is a leading European HDD and Direct Pipe contractor with comparable project complexity and customer profile. While primarily active in Europe, it competes with Laney on international tendered projects and represents a credible competitor as it expands into the Americas.

Direct peers

• CCI & Associates Inc. CCI is a leading Canadian HDD and trenchless construction firm with capabilities and customer profile closely mirroring Laney's. Direct competitor on pipeline and utility HDD projects in North America, including long-distance and large-diameter crossings.
• Strike, LLC: Strike is a pipeline, facilities, and energy infrastructure contractor with HDD capabilities. Collaborated with Laney on the Valley Crossing world-record project and is a comparable peer for large-diameter and shore-approach pipeline installations.
• Michels Corporation: Michels is one of North America's largest HDD and trenchless contractors, with capabilities spanning pipeline, utility, and telecommunications installations. Direct overlap with Laney on large-diameter pipeline crossings and Direct Pipe work, competing for similar enterprise and utility customers across the U.S.
• Henkels & McCoy: Henkels & McCoy is a major utility and pipeline infrastructure contractor with significant HDD and trenchless capabilities. Direct competitor on utility and oil & gas pipeline construction projects, and has worked alongside Laney as a contractor partner.
• Soletanche Bachy (Bessac): Soletanche Bachy, through its Bessac subsidiary, is one of the global pioneers of Direct Pipe and microtunneling technology and competes head-to-head with Laney on international shore approach and large-diameter trenchless crossings. Comparable in capability and project scale, with strong European and emerging North American footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@laneydirectional
• Xx.com/LaneyDrilling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Laney Directional Drilling Co.