ShalePumps heritage extends back to the mid-1950s when Ellis Williams – grandfather to ShalePumps’ director of engineering, Jason Williams – developed the first modern mud pump. Ellis began his career with Continental EMSCO, later starting his own company the Ellis Williams Company (EWCO). View an ASME paper Ellis wrote, “Single Acting Triplex Pumps for Mud Service,” in 1969.

In the early 2000s, Ellis sold his company to LeTourneau Technologies, where it became LeTourneau Ellis Williams (LEWCO). There, Ellis refined his advanced triplex mud pumps, building units up to 2,250 HP. These LEWCO mud pumps incorporated the industry’s first inherently balanced, forged, and machined crankshaft. This unique crankshaft allowed the LEWCO pump to run so smoothly that one could balance a quarter on its deck, even when the pump was operating at full horsepower. Ellis’ efforts at LEWCO made a strong impact on the industry, and within several years, the company replaced NOV as the leader in high horsepower mud pumps.

Today, Ellis’ drive to build a better, more reliable, more productive pump continues at ShalePumps, where smart, experienced people continue to work on advancing the state of the art for drilling and frac pumps.