Schramm has set its sights on drilling deeper relationships with key oil industry players, and in order to do that, the West Chester maker of land drilling rigs is expanding its presence in the so-called Energy Capital of the World.

Schramm is enlarging its Houston sales and marketing office with a showcase for its flagship shale pad drilling rig, the T500XD, and a state-of-the-art training simulator. The company is also tapping 14-year industry veteran and global oil executive Sean Roach, its current vice president of drilling systems and services, to lead the eight-person Houston team.

“We want to be closer to our customers — literally and in terms of collaboration,” Roach said. “We are moving away from the traditional relationship with our customers to a consultative relationship where we collaboratively develop drilling solutions, leveraging our diverse rig portfolio and experience to meet their specific exploration and development drilling challenges. This new, highly-customized and collaborative partnership is helping our customers achieve increased cost savings, maximized efficiencies and safer operations.”

The office is situated between the Houston Energy Corridor and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

“Sean’s deep industry roots, experience and relationships are key to our growth,” CEO Bobby Bryan said. “As low prices continue to dominate market conditions, we have begun working in partnership with our customers, rendering them greater levels of efficiency and profitability by engaging with them to develop equipment and services customized to their very specific needs.”