Petroleum Equipment International's history begins in 1949 when A.G. Chandler (AG), then with the Reed Roller Bit Company, made his first international trip. After the end of WWII, the use of petroleum throughout the world increased significantly. This increased demand also fueled the demand for personnel and material to search for and successfully extract these hydrocarbons. AG moved to London from Houston, Texas in 1949 and traveled the world setting up distributors for the materials he was selling.
In 1956 AG and Ishan Berent established Petroleum and Mining Equipment SA (Petromine) with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. Berent was the Oil Minister for Turkey prior to the establishment of Petromine. Over the next few years Petromine became the agent for Otis Engineering, Smith Tool, Drilco, Servco, Norman Hender, Lane and Bowler Screens, now Houston Well Screen (a Division of Haliburton), and Brine-Add.
The 1970’s saw expansion into Egypt with the opening of an office in Cairo in association with a local partner. Establishing Prodrill provided an opportunity to participate in sales in Egypt and North Africa. In 1979 Jim Chandler left Shell Oil and Robert Matthew Cutts left Brine-Add to join Petromine. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw tremendous growth in the international market.