As we approach our 31st year in OCTG reporting we thought we’d share a bit of our history with y’all. Our company’s publication, The OCTG Situation Report, was conceived from a recognized “black hole” in the tubular market. At the time, back in 1986, there was no formal data available to accurately gauge the most important OCTG metrics or measure mill performance. The unfavorable market conditions and tsunami of OCTG imports cost some mills their business. It was at this time that Duane Murphy took up the gauntlet and set out to create an industry benchmark to report distributor spot pricing, field inventory data, shipment stats and market share analysis. Those that were alive back in the early 80s remember that technology had not yet emerged from the “dark ages.” Back then Mr. Murphy was left to his own devices, developing a computer program that ran on the popular gaming console of the day: a Commodore 64. Shortly thereafter the first OCTG pricing and inventory surveys were launched. Over time valuable management tools were added to the Situation Report’s arsenal such as “months of supply,” a metric which was first applied to the OCTG market by Mr. Murphy and which has now become one of the most watched indices in the industry. The rest, as they say, is history and we are now celebrating our third decade in business serving oil & gas companies, steel tubular companies, distributors, processors, component manufacturers, financial institutions and management consulting companies worldwide. We consider it an honor to serve this big “small world” known as the oil patch. That’s our story and we’re sticking with it. Now tell us yours… In the meantime, here's wishing you the best and brightest of the holiday season! Photo: Annual “Christmas In The Oil Patch,” Kilgore, Texas