SB Directional Services

What SB Directional Services does

SB Directional Services is a privately held U.S. oilfield services company specializing in directional drilling for horizontal and complex multi-lateral wells. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with an additional operations office in Odessa, Texas, the company serves oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) operators across the Anadarko and Permian basins, including activity in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Texas. Its core offerings span three integrated service lines: proprietary mud motors under the POWR Series and RED (ROP Enhanced Drilling) brands, Measurement While Drilling (MWD) equipment for real-time downhole telemetry, and Well Planning engineering services covering lead-well-planner assignment, well plans, daily PVA reporting, anti-collision checks, and torque-and-drag modeling. The company markets a fully bundled directional drilling package — motors, MWD kits, well planning, and field operators — to multi-rig operators running horizontal drilling, multi-well pads, sidetracks, and stacked/multi-target lateral programs.

The company's differentiation rests on its proprietary motor technology (POWR Series with a larger bearing stack delivering greater weight-on-bit, torque, and over-pull with improved hole straightness; RED high-torque motors with specialized design and materials) and its combined crew experience of over 80 years across management, oil and gas, and directional drilling disciplines. SB operates a fleet of 130 mud motors and 25 MWD kits, supporting 20–25 simultaneous active jobs and a cumulative track record of more than 1,500 wells drilled across 50 different operators. Safety compliance is maintained through ISNETWorld and PEC Safety certifications.

Revenue is generated primarily through day-rate (per-job) service contracts with E&P operators, covering equipment rental (motors and MWD kits) and operator/planning services, with well planning also delivered as a professional services stream. In April 2026, ACT Energy Technologies Ltd., a Calgary-based energy services company, completed the acquisition of SB Directional Services for approximately USD $47 million (approximately CAD $64.3 million), structured as $30 million in cash and $17 million in ACT common shares. Following the transaction, SB operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACT under its existing name and U.S. leadership team, positioned within ACT's North American directional drilling consolidation strategy that also includes the 2026 acquisition of Stryker Energy Directional Services.

Name

SB Directional Services

Legal name

SB Directional Services

Website

https://sbdirectionalservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SB Directional Services is a U.S. oilfield services company providing directional drilling, MWD, and well planning services to E&P operators in the Anadarko and Permian basins, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACT Energy Technologies following its April 2026 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Directional Drilling Services (Day-Rate): SB Directional Services operates as a directional drilling contractor providing equipment rental (mud motors, MWD kits) and services (well planning, field operators) to oil and gas operators on a day-rate basis. Revenue is generated through recurring day-rate contracts for active drilling jobs (20-25 jobs typically active). The company also earns recurring revenue from equipment rental contracts. Source: ACT Energy Technologies noted ACT expects the acquisition to be accretive to Adjusted EBITDAS and Free Cash Flow, indicating SB generates positive EBITDA from its service operations.
2. Well Planning and Engineering Services: Well planning department provides specialized engineering services including well plan design, anti-collision checks, torque and drag modeling, and end-of-well reporting. These are professional services bundled with directional drilling operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

SB Directional Services is a directional drilling contractor that provides oil and gas operators with a complete directional drilling package, including SB POWR Series and RED mud motor rental, Measurement While Drilling (MWD) equipment with field operators, and a dedicated well planning department for design, anti-collision checks, torque and drag modeling, and end-of-well reporting. Services are delivered on a day-rate basis to E&P operators running horizontal, multi-lateral, sidetrack, and stacked lateral wells in the Anadarko and Permian basins.

Product overview

SB Directional Services provides a unified suite of directional drilling services for the oil and gas industry, combining proprietary motor technology with MWD equipment and expert well planning. The company operates three core product lines: SB POWR Series and RED Motors for downhole drilling power, MWD Equipment for real-time directional data, and Well Planning Services for comprehensive pre-drilling design and post-drilling reporting. These offerings work together as an integrated directional drilling solution, with the motors and MWD equipment deployed by field operators during active drilling jobs while the well planning department supports operations from initial design through final reporting. The company runs 20-25 active jobs using a fleet of 130 mud motors and 25 MWD kits across the Anadarko and Permian basins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Directional Drilling Services
• SB POWR Series Drilling Motors Proprietary mud motors featuring a larger bearing stack design that provides greater downhole allowances, more weight-on-bit (WOB), torque, and over-pull, while improving hole straightness and reducing bit wobble; rented as part of SB's directional drilling package.
• RED (ROP Enhanced Drilling) Motors High-torque drilling motors that deliver superior rate-of-penetration performance through proprietary design, materials, and manufacturing processes for enhanced drilling efficiency; deployed as part of SB's motor rental fleet.
• Measurement While Drilling (MWD) Equipment Services Real-time Measurement While Drilling (MWD) data collection and transmission service for horizontal drilling projects, featuring a fleet of 25 fully stocked kits with backup equipment, two operators per job, and tools configurable for varied downhole conditions and geological challenges.
• Well Planning Services Engineering well planning services including dedicated lead well planner assignment, well plan design, daily reporting with Plan Versus Actual plots, anti-collision checks, torque and drag modeling, and end-of-well reporting delivered to state and federal agencies, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 wells drilled across Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Texas for 50 different operators
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Halliburton: Halliburton is one of the world's largest oilfield services companies with Sperry Drilling (now part of its Drilling Solutions division) providing directional drilling, MWD/LWD, and rotary steerable services. It competes with SB across major U.S. shale plays.
• SLB (Schlumberger): SLB is a global oilfield services leader offering directional drilling through its Drilling & Measurement segment, including Sperry Drilling rotary steerable and MWD/LWD tools. It is a scaled incumbent competing with SB on integrated drilling contracts.
• Baker Hughes: Baker Hughes offers directional drilling services, MWD/LWD tools, and drilling automation through its Oilfield Services & Equipment segment. As a scaled incumbent, it competes with SB on integrated drilling services contracts in U.S. shale.
• Weatherford International: Weatherford International provides drilling, evaluation, and production services, including directional drilling and MWD/LWD offerings. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in the same operator customer base.

Direct peers

• Pioneer Energy Services: Pioneer Energy Services provides land drilling rigs and production services in the U.S., with overlapping directional drilling and MWD capabilities serving the same Anadarko/Permian and broader U.S. operator base as SB.
• Gyrodata Incorporated: Gyrodata provides directional surveying, MWD/LWD, and wellbore positioning services to the oil and gas industry. It is a comparable directional drilling services peer with similar technology offerings and customer base.
• Cathedral Energy Services: Cathedral Energy Services operates a directional drilling division providing MWD, mud motors, and well planning to North American E&P operators. It competes head-to-head with SB for directional drilling contracts and shares the same day-rate revenue model.
• Scientific Drilling International: Scientific Drilling International offers directional drilling services, MWD/LWD tools, and downhole navigation technology globally. It competes with SB in providing directional drilling and well planning services to operators.
• Stryker Energy Directional Services: Stryker Directional provides directional drilling, MWD, and well planning services to operators in the U.S., and was acquired by ACT Energy Technologies in 2026 alongside SB Directional. It is the closest direct peer, sharing parent ownership, service offering, and customer base.

Others

• Nabors Industries: Nabors Industries is a leading land drilling contractor that provides drilling rigs and increasingly integrated drilling services including directional drilling partnerships. It is an adjacent peer operating one layer upstream of directional service providers like SB.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sb-directional

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 SB Directional Services