Schramm Inc., the drilling rig manufacturer that played a leading role in the rescue of the 33 trapped miners at the San Jose Mine in Copiapo, Chile, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Troop Support, the Department of Defense's largest logistics combat support agency. Schramm will design and build 12 T450MIIA tophead-drive, truck-mounted hydraulic drilling rigs to be used by the U.S. Navy for drilling water wells. The deal, which includes support vehicles and accessories, is the first for Schramm with the U.S. Navy.

The deal comes on the heels of the company’s role in providing the drilling rigs that first located the minders in Chile and then widened the hole that eventually led to their successful rescue. Since then, the company has been benefitting from increased international awareness as a result of the successful rescue. The contract was awarded based on technical specification and a competitive bid; Schramm competed against multiple suppliers to receive the lucrative contract award. The rigs will be custom-designed from Schramm’s T450MIIA base model.

Among other things, project criteria included drilling a 12-inch-diameter hole to depths of 1,200 feet using mud rotary, and 6-inch-diameter hole to a depth of 1,500 feet through rock formations. In addition, the rigs had to fit into a C-17 aircraft for worldwide transportation.

Commenting on the deal, Fred Slack, vice president of business development for Schramm, says, “This is a significant contract for Schramm because it establishes an important new relationship with another branch of the U.S. military. We have long-standing relationships with other branches of the military, delivering drilling rigs to their demanding specifications. This contract to supply the U.S. Navy allows us to demonstrate our capabilities in producing high-quality, rugged truck-mounted drill rigs for water well applications in demanding conditions worldwide.”