Atlas Copco AB

Bought assets including five service locations and a drill bit manufacturing facility in Carlsbad, N.M.

Atlas Copco (ATCOALStockholm) has purchased the operational assets of Houston, Texas-based Archer Underbalanced Services (AUS), a leading provider of down-the-hole hammers, drill bits and compressed air packages to U.S. land-based oil and gas drilling companies.

The assets include five service locations near major oil and gas reserves, and a drill bit manufacturing facility in Carlsbad, N.M. A total of 75 AUS employees are expected to transition to Atlas Copco.

Johan Halling, business area president of Atlas Copco Mining and Rock Excavation Technique, said the purchase “greatly enhances our distribution and support presence in the U.S. land-based oil and gas drilling industry.

“This creates opportunities for adding several complementary Atlas Copco product lines in the future such as state-of-the-art compressed air solutions through this new distribution channel,” he said.

The acquired business will become part of Atlas Copco’s business area Mining and Rock Excavation Technique.

Atlas Copco’s Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area provides equipment for drilling and rock excavation, and a complete range of related consumables and service through a global network. Principal product development and manufacturing units are located in Sweden, the United States, Canada, China and India.

Archer Underbalanced, a part of Archer Well Services based in Houston, reported 2012 sales of US34 million, or 230 million Swedish Krona (SEK).