Dando Drilling
 | |
| Limited | |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Headquarters | Littlehampton, West Sussex, England |
Key people | Martin Fitch-Roy (Managing Director) |
| Products | Drilling rigs and equipment. |
Number of employees | 60 |
| Website | www.dando.co.uk |
Dando is an English company manufacturing and supplying drilling rigs and equipment.
History
The Company was founded by a Mr Duke and a Mr Ockenden who in 1867 sank the first Tubewell to ensure a clean water supply in Littlehampton, England, following an outbreak of Cholera.[1] The name Dando is a contraction of the founder's names.
In 1868 Dando supplied Tubewells for Abyssinia.[1]
The Company began operating worldwide, supplying drilling services, equipment, waterwells, windmills and pumps. As time went on the emphasis gradually moved towards equipment design and manufacture.[1]
In 2006 the company acquired Southern Drilling Services, based nearby in Ford, near Arundel.
In 2011 Dando became part of Energold Drilling Group, a publicly listed Canadian company based in Vancouver, BC.
Products
The Company manufactures and sells drilling rigs, drilling tools and associated products:
- Water Well Drilling Rigs
- Geotechnical Drilling Rigs
- Mineral Exploration Drilling Rigs
- Geothermal Drilling Rigs
- Multipurpose Drilling Rigs
Dando also supplies support vehicles, drilling tools, equipment and consumables.
Customers
Customers that Dando supplies to include:
- NGOs and Charities
- UN Bodies
- Government Departments
- Mining Companies and Consultants
- Private Contractors and Drilling Services Providers
Major Projects
In 1993 Dando was awarded a US$19 million contract by the FAO division of the United Nations to supply 12 large water well drilling rigs together with tooling packages to pre-war northern Iraq . The rigs were supplied to the major cities of Northern Iraq – Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah – for providing clean water to the local populations. Six Watertec 30 and six Watertec 24 machines were shipped over the term of the contract and together with commissioning services, Dando also offered a full training package which resulted in the setting up of drilling schools in each of the three provinces of Northern Iraq. Over three hundred Iraqis were trained in drilling and rig maintenance and the results were outstanding. Hundreds of boreholes were drilled, lives were saved, for those affected the quality of life was improved and the FAO considered it one of their most successful drilling programmes.
In 2010 Dando supplied 5 water well drilling rigs (Watertec 12.8 model) to the British Army for deployment in Afghanistan.The British Army has been a customer of Dando's since 1868.
For over 40 years Dando has supplied its mineral exploration drilling rigs- particularly the Mintec 12.8- to large mining companies in Indonesia for surface coal exploration.
In 2013 Dando sold eighteen Watertec 9000 water well rigs to the Indonesian military. With two machines deployed on each of the nine major islands, the trailer mounted rigs are supplying water to army bases across the nation. They will also be used for carrying out disaster relief work within the country and humanitarian work outside, if needed.
Awards
Dando is twice winner of the Queens Award for Enterprise under the category of International Trade in 2000 and 2003.
Media
In January 2016 Dando Drilling featured on an episode of UK TV series Great British Railway Journeys. Presenter Michael Portillo visited Dando's factory in Littlehampton to find out how Victorian engineers helped defend the town's residents from cholera and how Dando's drilling rigs are still providing clean water around the world.
References
Geodrilling International April 2013