APS Technology
APS Technology designs and manufactures independent MWD/LWD, rotary steerable, and drilling optimization systems for oil and gas operators and directional drillers worldwide. Founded 1993 in Wallingford, CT, the company holds 115 patents and serves 750+ customers across 25 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersWallingford, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What APS Technology does
APS Technology is a US-based, privately held designer and manufacturer of measurement-while-drilling (MWD), logging-while-drilling (LWD), rotary steerable systems (RSS), and drilling optimization tools for the oil and gas drilling industry, founded in 1993 by Bill Turner and Denis Biglin and headquartered in Wallingford, Connecticut. The company positions itself as the only fully independent provider of advanced MWD/LWD systems with in-house design, engineering, and manufacturing—an alternative to the integrated offerings of major oilfield service companies. Its product portfolio spans four branded lines: SureShot (MWD), SureLog (LWD), SureSteer (rotary steerable), and SureDrill (drilling dynamics and vibration management), supported by 115 issued patents and an 84,000 sq ft manufacturing and testing facility. Notable technical components include Generation 4/5 rotary pulsers, high-temperature turbine alternators rated to 175°C, the SureDrill-AVD active vibration damper using magnetorheological fluid, a Universal Translator (uTrans) module for integrating third-party MWD/LWD tools, and a 4.75-inch rotary steerable system with closed-loop feedback control.
APS generates revenue through direct equipment sales, equipment rentals of MWD/LWD and downhole tools (including complete DGMWD kit boxes, WPR sensor subs, RSS tools, and AVD vibration dampers), OEM/private-label manufacturing of parts and tools for major drilling service providers, and contract engineering and design services. Its go-to-market is regional sales-driven, supported by VPs of Business Development covering Western Region, EMA, and China, plus general managers in Houston, Dubai, and China. The company serves 750+ customers across 25 countries via 7 sales and repair-and-maintenance facilities in North America, the Middle East, China, and Russia, and lists multinational oilfield service companies, independent directional drillers, MWD service companies, and national oil companies as its principal segments. Strategic licensing arrangements include licensed iPZIG and iDNSC tools from SLB and a previously sold WOB/TOB/BOB license to Halliburton.
The company is founder-led under Chairman and CEO Denis Biglin, with a board that includes former executives from Teleco Oilfield Services/Baker Hughes, Weatherford, and Spears & Associates. No external private equity or venture capital funding is disclosed in available sources, and ownership appears concentrated among founders and management. Capital allocation is anchored by continuous reinvestment in product development (e.g., G5 high-data-rate pulser, 4.75-inch RSS, coiled-tubing WPR variant) and incremental geographic footprint buildout rather than large M&A or restructuring moves.
APS Technology firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- APS Technology
- Legal name
- APS Technology
- Website
- https://aps-tech.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- APS Technology designs and manufactures independent MWD/LWD, rotary steerable, and drilling optimization systems for oil and gas operators and directional drillers worldwide. Founded 1993 in Wallingford, CT, the company holds 115 patents and serves 750+ customers across 25 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
APS Technology industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oil and Gas Drilling Equipment
- NAICS
- Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Directional Drilling & MWD/LWD Services (EUALABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Oilfield Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Wellheads, BOPs, Surface Equipment) (EUALABAL)
Keywords
Where APS Technology is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wallingford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
APS Technology business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- MWD/LWD Equipment Sales: Direct sale of MWD and LWD systems including SureShot MWD platforms, SureLog LWD tools, and downhole instrumentation. Products include modular systems that can be configured from basic survey tools to full LWD capability.
- Equipment Rentals: Rental of MWD, LWD & downhole tools including complete DGMWD kit boxes, WPR sensor subs, RSS tools, and AVD vibration dampening tools. Designed to help customers manage peak demand without growing their fleet.
- OEM/Private Label Manufacturing: Design and manufacturing of parts and tools for major drilling service providers under OEM/private label arrangements.
- Engineering & Design Services: Contract engineering services including conceptual and feasibility studies, product development, optimization, project management, and rapid prototyping.
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
APS Technology product offering
Product offeringCore offering
APS Technology designs and manufactures advanced Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), rotary steerable (RSS), and drilling optimization downhole tools for oil and gas operators and directional drilling service companies. Its products include the SureShot MWD, SureLog LWD, SureSteer-RSS, and SureDrill-AVD active vibration damper product lines, sold both directly and through an equipment rental program, with additional OEM/private label manufacturing and contract engineering services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SureShot: MWD (Measurement While Drilling) systems product line including SureShot-MP, SureShot-EM, SureShot-DDS, SureShot-gamma, SureShot-PWD, SureShot-VMM
- SureLog
- SureSteer
- SureDrill
- APSPLOT
- VACOIL
Products and services
- SureShot MWD Systems Modular Measurement While Drilling (MWD) systems providing real-time directional, gamma, pressure-while-drilling, and vibration data for directional drilling applications; configurable from basic survey tools to full LWD capability for oilfield service companies and operators.
- SureLog LWD Systems Complete Logging While Drilling (LWD) suite including wave propagation resistivity (WPR), full-wave sonic (FWS), azimuthal gamma ray (AZG), drilling dynamics monitoring (DDM), and at-bit inclination/IPZIG tools; provides wireline-equivalent formation evaluation while drilling for operators and independent directional drillers.
- SureSteer-RSS Rotary Steerable System 4.75 inch rotary steerable system for directional drilling with closed-loop feedback control for vertical or tangent angle control; enables precise well profiles in complex wells such as horizontal, extended reach, and deepwater drilling.
- SureDrill-AVD Active Vibration Damper Autonomous downhole vibration damping tool using magnetorheological fluid with programmable stiffness that adapts to changing BHA motion in real time; demonstrated 50% rate of penetration (ROP) improvement and doubled bit life.
- Equipment Rental Program Rental of MWD, LWD, and downhole tools including complete DGMWD kit boxes, WPR sensor subs, RSS tools, and AVD vibration dampening tools; designed to help customers manage peak demand without growing their fleet.
- OEM / Private Label Manufacturing Design and manufacture of parts and tools for major drilling service providers under OEM/private label arrangements.
- Engineering & Design Services Contract engineering services including conceptual and feasibility studies, product development, optimization, project management, and rapid prototyping.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% improvement in rate of penetration (ROP) with Active Vibration Damper (AVD)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use APS Technology
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
APS Technology technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature6 records
APS Technology partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SinopeccoreAgreement with Sinopec to develop rotary steerable motor system. Represents strategic collaboration with major Chinese national oil company for technology development.
- SLB (Schlumberger)coreLicensed iPZIG and iDNSC tools from SLB, enabling APS to offer at-bit inclination and image gamma ray capabilities integrated with their LWD platform.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
APS Technology competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Scientific Drilling International: Independent provider of MWD, LWD, directional drilling and wellbore positioning services to oil and gas operators. Closest direct comparable to APS Technology given overlapping product lines (MWD/LWD/rss-adjacent tools) and similar independent positioning vs. the Big Four.
- Phoenix Technology Services: Canada-based directional drilling and MWD/LWD services company serving North American and international operators. Smaller-scale independent with overlapping product scope (MWD, LWD, RSS rentals) and a similar mid-market customer profile.
- Cathedral Energy Services: Canadian-based directional drilling and MWD/LWD provider with operations in North America and internationally. Closely comparable business model (independently-owned, drilling measurement-focused) competing for similar independent and NOC customers.
- Gyrodata: Independent wellbore positioning and MWD services company serving directional drilling applications globally. Overlaps with APS on MWD telemetry and directional surveying, and competes for similar independent directional driller customers.
Broad incumbents
- Hunting PLC: UK-listed provider of upstream oil and gas products and services including drilling tools, perforating systems and downhole instrumentation. Comparable to APS on the drilling tools and OEM/private-label manufacturing side of the business.
- SLB (Schlumberger): World's largest oilfield services company with a full integrated LWD/MWD/RSS portfolio (e.g., PowerPulse, TeleScope, iPZIG family). APS licensed iPZIG and iDNSC from SLB, evidencing direct competitive and commercial overlap across downhole drilling measurements.
- Weatherford International: Major oilfield services company with drilling and evaluation offerings including MWD/LWD and directional tools. Board member Sana Allana spent 17 years at Weatherford, and Weatherford competes directly with APS across downhole drilling measurements.
- Baker Hughes: Major oilfield services company with a broad drilling services and downhole tools portfolio (e.g., AutoTrak, OnTrak RSS). APS CEO Denis Biglin and other leaders previously worked at Baker Hughes, and Baker Hughes' Teleco heritage directly competes with APS' MWD/LWD systems.
- Halliburton: Major oilfield services company offering integrated drilling tools including LWD, MWD and rotary steerable systems (e.g., iCruise, iStar). APS has a WOB/TOB/BOB license sold to Halliburton, demonstrating direct technology and product overlap.
Regional players
- Sinopec Oilfield Service Corporation: China-based oilfield services arm of Sinopec Group with extensive drilling, MWD/LWD and directional capabilities primarily serving Chinese and select Asian markets. APS has a strategic rotary steerable motor co-development agreement with Sinopec, evidencing direct technology overlap in the China region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
APS Technology social profiles
Digital presenceAPS Technology financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
APS Technology leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
APS Technology funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
APS Technology M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about APS Technology
What does APS Technology do?
APS Technology designs and manufactures advanced Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), rotary steerable (RSS), and drilling optimization downhole tools for oil and gas operators and directional drilling service companies. Its products include the SureShot MWD, SureLog LWD, SureSteer-RSS, and SureDrill-AVD active vibration damper product lines, sold both directly and through an equipment rental program, with additional OEM/private label manufacturing and contract engineering services.
Is APS Technology a public or private company?
APS Technology is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was APS Technology founded?
APS Technology was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is APS Technology based?
APS Technology is headquartered in Wallingford, United States, in the North America region.
How does APS Technology make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. MWD/LWD Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are equipment Rentals, OEM/Private Label Manufacturing and engineering & Design Services.
Who are APS Technology's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Scientific Drilling International, Phoenix Technology Services, Cathedral Energy Services and Gyrodata. Broad incumbents are Hunting PLC, SLB (Schlumberger), Weatherford International, Baker Hughes and Halliburton. Sinopec Oilfield Service Corporation is listed as a regional player.
Does APS Technology have an API?
No public API is recorded for APS Technology.
What industry is APS Technology in?
APS Technology's product category is Oil and Gas Drilling Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUALABAB, Directional Drilling & MWD/LWD Services, with a secondary code of EUALABAL, Oilfield Equipment Manufacturing & Supply (Wellheads, BOPs, Surface Equipment). Its NAICS code is 333132 and its SIC code is 3533.