Drillers Service

What Drillers Service does

Drillers Service, Inc. (DSI) is a wholesale distributor serving the U.S. water industry, founded in 1954 by H. Jack Faw, Sr. in Hickory, North Carolina. The company distributes water well, wastewater, water treatment, turf and irrigation, and industrial fluid-handling products to professional contractors across eight Southeast states through 20 physical branch locations, with a 21st branch added in Arkansas in April 2026 via the Benson Pump Corporation acquisition. Customers can purchase products through in-branch pickup, direct job-site delivery, phone/in-person orders, or the HydroLink online customer portal under Net 30 terms with a $25 minimum invoice.

DSI's core technology stack is conventional: a standard ERP system handles inventory, order processing, and billing, while the HydroLink portal provides 24/7 self-service for product browsing, invoicing, and payments. The most distinctive service is the On-Site Inventory (OSI) program developed by parent Headwater Companies, which places fully stocked mini-warehouse containers on contractor properties for 24/7/365 access, with pay-only-when-used billing, automatic replenishment through a dedicated app, and ownership retained by DSI to lower customer insurance and inventory tax burdens. Product breadth is anchored by partnerships with 150+ manufacturers including A.O. Smith, Franklin Electric, Pentair, Goulds, Watts, and Rain Bird.

DSI has been a subsidiary of Headwater Companies, LLC—which itself is a division of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE)—since 2017, when Franklin Electric acquired DSI alongside 2M Company and Western Hydro for approximately $89 million to form a distribution platform with ~$275 million in consolidated sales. Within Headwater, DSI is the largest legacy entity and operates with local sales teams, branch managers, and territory sales representatives supported by a centralized field sales motion and digital portal. Direct revenue figures for DSI are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Drillers Service

Legal name

DSI, Drillers Service Inc.

Website

https://dsidsi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hickory

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Distribution Sales: DSI operates as a wholesale distributor selling water industry products including water well, wastewater, water treatment, turf and industrial products to professional contractors. Revenue is generated through product sales with pricing at competitive rates, Net 30 payment terms, and minimum invoice order of $25.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Drillers Service, Inc. (DSI) is a wholesale distributor of water industry products—including water well, wastewater, water treatment, turf, and industrial products—to professional contractors across the Southeastern United States through 20+ branch locations. The core distribution offering is augmented by the On-Site Inventory (OSI) program, which places fully stocked mini-warehouse containers on contractor properties for 24/7 access with pay-only-when-used billing, and by the HydroLink Customer Portal, which enables 24/7 online ordering, invoice viewing, and bill payment.

Product overview

DSI operates as a wholesale distributor serving the water industry with a core distribution business supplemented by technology-enabled services. The main offering is wholesale distribution of water well, wastewater, water treatment, turf, and industrial products from manufacturer partners. This is complemented by the On-Site Inventory (OSI) Program, a value-added inventory management solution that places fully stocked containers at contractor job sites with pay-only-when-used pricing. The HydroLink Customer Portal provides online ordering, invoice viewing, and bill payment capabilities for customers. The company distributes products from over 150 vendor partners including A. O. Smith, Franklin Electric, Pentair, and others across pumps, motors, controls, tanks, pipe, water treatment, and related categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HydroLink Customer Portal: Online customer portal allowing customers to explore products and pricing, view invoices, pay bills, and place orders 24/7.

Products and services

• DSI Water Systems Wholesale Distribution Wholesale distribution of water industry products—including water well, wastewater, water treatment, turf and irrigation, and industrial products—to professional contractors in the southeastern United States through 20+ branch locations, with products sourced from 150+ top-tier manufacturer partners (A.O. Smith, Franklin Electric, Pentair, Goulds, and others).
• On-Site Inventory (OSI) Program A value-added inventory management program that places a fully stocked mini-warehouse container on a contractor's property for 24/7/365 access to products they use daily, with customers paying only when product is used. Includes inventory counting, automatic replenishment via an advanced app, and ownership retention by DSI so contractors do not insure or carry inventory tax on the stocked product.
• HydroLink Customer Portal Online customer portal providing professional contractors with 24/7 access to DSI's product catalog and pricing, invoice history, online bill payment, and order placement, removing the constraint of branch hours and streamlining repeat purchasing on Net 30 credit terms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 access to inventory through OSI containers with payment only when products are used
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Water Systems CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason Garcia, Regional Vice President at DSI, was appointed to the Water Systems Council Board of Directors as a distributor member. The Water Systems Council is a nonprofit organization focused exclusively on private water wells and small shared wells.
• A. O. Smith Water SystemscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA. O. Smith is one of DSI's essential vendor partners providing water systems products.
• Franklin ElectriccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranklin Electric is both parent company and key vendor partner. DSI distributes Franklin Electric products including pumps, motors, and water systems components.
• PentaircoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPentair is listed as a key vendor partner, providing residential and commercial water solutions.
• 150+ Manufacturer PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDSI maintains partnerships with over 150 top-tier manufacturers including A.Y. McDonald, ABB Motors, American Granby, Baker Manufacturing, Barmesa Pumps, Cornell Pump, Flowserve, Harco Fittings, K-Rain, Lakos, Norweco, Oatey, Rain Bird, Spears, Watts, Zoeller, and many others across categories including Accessories, Commercial/Industrial, Drilling, Groundwater, Pipe, Pumps Motors Controls, Tanks, Turf/Irrigation, Wastewater, Water Treatment, and Wire/Electrical.
• Headwater Companies (OSI Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeadwater Companies developed the On-Site Inventory (OSI) program for professional contractors. DSI offers this value-added benefit allowing contractors to have fully stocked mini-warehouse containers on their property for 24/7 access, paid only when used.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Core & Main: Core & Main is the largest US distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection products, directly overlapping DSI's water well, wastewater, and treatment distribution business across a national footprint.
• SiteOne Landscape Supply: SiteOne is the leading national distributor of landscape and irrigation products to professional contractors; its irrigation category directly overlaps DSI's turf and irrigation product lines.
• EJ Prescott: EJ Prescott is a regional water, wastewater, and underground infrastructure distributor serving municipalities and contractors in the Northeast and Midwest with comparable product categories to DSI.
• Municipal Supply (a Core & Main company): Municipal Supply, part of Core & Main, distributes water and wastewater products to municipalities and contractors, overlapping DSI's water well and wastewater categories with a different geographic footprint.
• Consolidated Pipe & Supply: Consolidated Pipe & Supply is a regional water, sewer, and storm drainage distributor serving municipalities and contractors in the Southeast and South Central US, with significant overlap with DSI's product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Ferguson Enterprises: Ferguson is a large publicly-traded plumbing, HVAC, and waterworks distributor with a national branch network serving professional contractors; its waterworks segment competes head-on with DSI's pump and water-systems distribution.
• HD Supply Waterworks: HD Supply Waterworks, formerly part of HD Supply and now integrated with The Home Depot, is a national distributor of water, sewer, and storm water products to contractors and municipalities, comparable in scale and scope to DSI's category.

Emerging players

• Pool Corporation: Pool Corporation is a national distributor of pool equipment and related water products; pumps, motors, and water-treatment components carried by Pool overlap with DSI's residential/commercial water-systems assortment.
• Winsupply: Winsupply is a wholesale distributor collective with local operating companies serving contractors across plumbing, HVAC, and water systems; several Winsupply companies compete directly with DSI branches.

Regional players

• Reece Limited: Reece is the leading plumbing, water, and HVAC distributor in Australia and New Zealand; while geographically distinct, Reece's model of multi-branch wholesale distribution to professional contractors is closely analogous to DSI's go-to-market approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drillers-service-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Drillers Service