Drilcorp was initially set up to service the water supply and monitoring sector of the drilling industry and started working with a second hand Edeco Stratadrill 40. Early contracts included domestic and farm water supply boreholes and then the company was awarded a contract to drill a series of mine-water monitoring boreholes throughout the North East on behalf of the Environment Agency (National Rivers Authority in those days), an important step forward.
The next notable event in the evolution of the Company was winning major dewatering contracts in London. First there was the Jubilee Line Extension and then the Channel Tunnel Rail Link including the ‘Stratford Box’ permanent dewatering system. Drilcorp now has many blue chip clients throughout the UK and has evolved into four current divisions –
‘Drilling Services’ which drills deep large diameter boreholes for the Water Supply and Mining industries as well as Universities and government agencies such as the British Geological Survey ;
‘Borehole Engineering Services’ division services borehole owners and maintains, refurbishes, tests, surveys and repairs their water supply boreholes ensuring that their valuable asset is in perfect working order.
‘Geotechnical Exploration Services’ carries out drilling and testing operations for the Geotechnical and Site Investigation sector.
‘Hirecorp Services’ hire out specialist equipment such as our unique track mounted air compressors. This division also carries out plant haulage services.
Each step along the way enabled the company to grow and invest in new state of the art drilling equipment and rigs and now we employ in excess of 40 personnel and run 16 drilling rigs. The Company has an excellent reputation throughout the UK and is a corporate member of the Welldrillers Association, British Drilling Association, National Groundwater Association and Institute of Hydrologists.
Drilcorp has ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation and is well on the way to ISO18001. The company is audited annually by Bureau Veritas and has Achilles Verify Accreditation. Other accreditations include ‘CHAS’ and ‘Safe Contractor’
Drilcorp’s Managing Director Dave Gowans comments;
“February 28th 1992 was the day Drilcorp was incorporated. I had left my last gainful employment as a company director and there I was, sitting at the kitchen table, no job, no car, no phone, no money and a big mortgage.
I had been involved in drilling all my working life. Drilling was my hobby as well as how I managed to feed the wife and bairns and keep the bills paid so it seemed that the next logical step in my career would be to have my own drilling company. Drilcorp was born – the journey so far has not been easy, it still isn’t and I do not suppose it ever will be but time flies when you are enjoying yourself so the saying goes. Well the last 25 years have flown for me so therefore I must have been enjoying the challenge!”
