This summer will mark 50 years since the first drilling rig rolled out of the SIMCO Drilling Equipment plant in Osceola, Iowa. Five decades in business is an impressive record on its own. But also maintaining outstanding quality and high service standards over the years is a real cause for celebration.
SIMCO Drilling Equipment started out as a “sketch on the back of an envelope” in Lincoln, Nebraska, when a custom metal fabricating company, Metalcraft, was challenged with building a better drill. Owner Thayne Croston got to work and created a heavier, crawler-mounted drill that opened up drilling possibilities in rough terrains. Soon, he was in need of a larger facility to meet growing demand, and came across the opportunity to move to a new building in Osceola, Iowa. The rest, as they say, is history.
The first all-hydraulic, truck-mounted drilling rig, the 2400, soon rolled out the doors of the new Southern Iowa Manufacturing Company facility in 1971. From the beginning, SIMCO Drilling Equipment established a reputation for quality, service, and innovation. It was only another five years before the 2800 series and the 5000 series were added to their stable of rig models, and within ten years the business had exponentially grown their range of ruggedly built, reliable equipment. The SIMCO engineering team pushed suppliers to make their own advances in technology just to keep up with their innovation.
Over the past fifty years, SIMCO has built up an impressive line of long stroke, top head drive, all-hydraulic drill rigs, consistently anticipating the demands of the market. Experienced hydraulic engineering is a major component of the secret to SIMCO’s success. Innovation through improvements in manufacturing and quality craftsmanship have helped evolve a small manufacturing operation into a leader in producing water well, geotechnical, and environmental drilling rigs. SIMCO is somewhat unique in that not only are the drill rigs designed and built on site, but all the fabricated components are as well.
SIMCO drilling rigs and equipment are in operation on every continent, with many of the early 1970’s models still in action today. Because SIMCO offers an industry-best warranty, drillers know they’ll get an exceptional return on investment with low maintenance and big performance with every purchase. The willingness to take customer feedback has resulted in many of the innovations and improvements made to the drilling rigs over the years. The wide range of rig models available are adapted to meet a variety of needs, ranging from auger, and rotary drilling to down-the-hole hammer and core drilling.
“Celebrating 50 years of quality products and service is a great honor for SIMCO Drilling Equipment and everyone who has been a part of our journey,” said Darren Swolley, General Manager and Sales Manager for SIMCO. “We’re really proud of the way SIMCO has evolved and adapted to improve our drilling rigs for a wide variety of diverse applications.”
