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GENERATIONS OF EXPERIENCE

Currently based out of High River Alberta Cantera is a family run business with 3 generations of drilling experience under our belt. We have since taken that experience and started innovating for the drilling industry, with the goal of making a hard job a lot easier for the generations that will follow. 

We come forward into the mining industry with passion and proven success building drilling rigs for the water well and geothermal industry under the banner of Derex.

THE HISTORY

My dad, Dan started in the oilfield in the 1960’s and went into welding and fabricating, during the 1981 recession he got a job Drilling water wells. In 1986, my uncle and my dad started their own drilling company with a tired old drill that needed to be fixed daily.
 
In the early 90s we knew we needed newer equipment, and would search endlessly through the NDBG for a good deal. Not finding what we needed at a reasonable price led us to start building our own drills and equipment.
In 2004 I took a few large drilling contracts that required some specialized drills, from these drills the Derrick that we use today was born. Over the years since we have tested/ abused the design until I was happy enough to bring it to market.
 
Today I am proud to say that Derex likely has more time and money into the research and development of drilling equipment, and rigs then all the other companies combined.
 
We know what will work and what won’t work…. and why.

GENERATIONS OF EXPERIENCE

Currently based out of High River Alberta Cantera is a family run business with 3 generations of drilling experience under our belt. We have since taken that experience and started innovating for the drilling industry, with the goal of making a hard job a lot easier for the generations that will follow. 

We come forward into the mining industry with passion and proven success building drilling rigs for the water well and geothermal industry under the banner of Derex.

THE HISTORY

My dad, Dan started in the oilfield in the 1960’s and went into welding and fabricating, during the 1981 recession he got a job Drilling water wells. In 1986, my uncle and my dad started their own drilling company with a tired old drill that needed to be fixed daily.
 
In the early 90s we knew we needed newer equipment, and would search endlessly through the NDBG for a good deal. Not finding what we needed at a reasonable price led us to start building our own drills and equipment.
In 2004 I took a few large drilling contracts that required some specialized drills, from these drills the Derrick that we use today was born. Over the years since we have tested/ abused the design until I was happy enough to bring it to market.
 
Today I am proud to say that Derex likely has more time and money into the research and development of drilling equipment, and rigs then all the other companies combined.
 
We know what will work and what won’t work…. and why.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

We don’t just build drilling rigs, we build strong relationships with our clients.  The way I see it, the whole drilling industry is one big family, whether you’re drilling on the bench of an open pit mine, searching for water, poking holes for heat, exploring for future mines or getting dirty drilling for oil.

Visiting our clients in person is actually my favorite part of the whole process, I like to see their excitement and enthusiasm after drilling with our rigs, because at the end of the day, their success is also our success.