Picture an oilfield. Chances are you see a greasy drilling rig surrounded by a group of equally greased-up and grizzled oilmen, moving heavy equipment in a dangerous and labor-intensive environment.
Not these days. The coverall-adorned roughnecks of yesteryear today are now much fewer and more likely to sit in data vans monitoring the computer screens instead of constantly configuring all the pipes and tools manually. “The days of the mud-soaked rig hand with a cigarette in his mouth are behind us,” said Dan Pickering, founder and chief investment officer for Pickering Energy Partners consulting and research firm. “The hardest and riskiest jobs are getting gradually replaced with technology. They can’t all be completely replaced, but it’s happening.”
