The Oil and Gas Companies dedicate huge amounts of money for exploration, development, production and marketing. These expenses offer a vast market for the supply of services, know-how, engineering, construction and equipment. The companies involved in this process are known as the Oil & Gas equipment and services supply industry.

In France, this industry covers all the fields from exploration, production and transport, to refining, marketing and petrochemicals.

This grown-up supply and services industry takes advantage of several assets:
• The international role of TOTAL, one of the worldwide major company, and of GDFSUEZ, now competing with gas producing companies on the international scene;
• Two worldwide known Research Institutes : IFP Energies nouvelles, leader in research and industrial development and shareholder of some major French service companies as Beicip-Franlab and Axens, and IFREMER leader in research and development of high tech solution for very deep offshore developments and protection of the marine environment;
• One of the most important Engineering company worldwide: Technip, and several internationally known Engineering, Contractors and Services Companies.

As a result the capacity to provide new solutions and innovative technologies remains the main factor of development and dynamism of the French industry; this, being a major asset for competitiveness, explains its international successes (especially in deep offshore exploration and development) despite of France's lack of national hydrocarbon resources.

Large companies such as Technip, Schlumberger, CGGVeritas, Subsea 7, SAIPEM S.A., Doris Engineering, Pride International, testify their vitality with a strong position on the international markets and are established in all oil & gas producing countries. However, their successes have taken advantage of the active support of numerous subcontractors and manufacturers (mainly SME's). Many of these dynamic companies devote a large part of their income to R&D in order to stay in the forefront of technological progress and adapt their services and equipment in order to meet the ever more demanding challenges of the industry.

In terms of export, France holds the second rank worldwide. This position together with the Britannic and Norwegian activity developed in the context of a local market, makes Europe one of the major player in the international competition including the United States.