Started from
Spotting The Real Needs
In the early 1980s, a team of Thai engineers saw something important: many rural communities in Thailand couldn’t get clean water. This wasn’t just an inconvenience — it affected their health, farming/working, and daily life. Wanting to help these communities, the engineers started a non-profit organisation with support from Thai and international development agency donors. Their mission was simple but powerful: bring clean water to people who needed it.
They began with basic solutions such as windmills, hand pumps, and small water-powered systems. While working in villages, they noticed people digging wells by hand. This backbreaking work took weeks and often didn’t reach deep enough. This led to their first breakthrough, the Rotadrill-101. This hand-operated drill was portable, powerful, and could reach water much faster than traditional digging. For many villages, this meant the difference between walking far for water and having a reliable source right in the community.
And this is how it all begun. A simple observation of a real need, combined with practical engineering and a commitment to helping communities. From that first Rotadrill to our complete range of drilling machines and equipment today. We’ve stayed true to our original purpose: bringing clean water to the people who need it most.
Our Journey:
From Thailand to The World
The success of these early efforts led to the official founding of Promotion of Appropriate Technology Co., Ltd (PAT-Drill) in 1986. We had a clear purpose: create drilling equipment that was high-quality but affordable, designed specifically for rual areas where big machines couldn't go or would be too expensive to operate.
We focused on rural areas around Thailand's borders where water infrastructure was not yet developed — places often overlooked by government projects. By working closely with these underserved communities, we learnt valuable lessons about making equipment that could:
- Work in remote areas without electricity
- Be transported on dirt roads or rough terrain
- Be operated and maintained by non-technicians
- Drill effectively in different geological conditions
Word spread about our reliable drilling machines, and soon those who worked with communities facing water shortage in other countries, especially in Africa, reached out to us. We began working with local governments, NGOs, and international aid agencies to expand our impact.
This partnership approach also helped us bring clean water to communities across Asia, Middle East, and Africa. By the mid-1990s, PAT-Drill machines and equipment were being used in more than 30 countries around the globe, each with unique challenges that helped us improve our designs.
For every community that gained access to clean water, we saw positive changes: better health, more time for education instead of water collection, improved farming/income, and new opportunities for local businesses.
Recognising the growing needs in East Africa, we opened PAT Africa Drill in Nairobi, Kenya — the window to Africa, in 1999. This was not only a sales office. It became a hub for our training, service, and learning.
By working side-by-side with African communities, we gained firsthand knowledge of drilling in diverse landscapes, from sandy costal areas to rocky highlands. We adapted our machine and equipment to meet these challenges while keeping our core values of simplicity, durability, and efficiency.
Our African team members brought valuable insights that shaped how we designed equipment, provided training, and supported long-term water access projects throughout the continent.
In 2010, we built our integrated factory in Pathum Thani, Thailand. This factory is significantly larger than our previous operations, allowing us to work more efficiently while bringing all our operations together — research, design, manufacturing, testing, packing, and shipping — creating a smooth process from initial idea to finished product.
Having everything in one place allows us to:
- Maintain strict quality control
- Respond quickly to customer needs
- Test innovations thoroughly before they reach customers
- Train visitors on-site who want to learn about water well drilling
- Reduce and better manage waste and environment impact
PAT-Drill remains focused on our original purpose: creating reliable, appropriate drilling technology that help communities access clean water. We believe that technology should serve people, not the other way around.
Our team continues to visit remote villages, listen to local needs, and develop solutions that work in real-world conditions. We take pride in equipment that remains operational for decades, often maintained by the very communities it serves.
Today, PAT-Drill works with a network of partners across Thailand, Asia and Africa — from small local communities to international development agencies. We provide not just equipment, but training, knowledge sharing, and ongoing support. Many of our earliest customers still work with us today, a testament to our commitment to lasting relationships.
Our journey from a small Thai initiative to a global partner in clean water access shows what’s possible when engineering meets community needs. Every drill we make, every well that brings water, and every community that thrives reinforces our commitment to appropriate technology that truly makes a difference.
We’re proud of our history, but we’re even more excited about the future — working together with communities worldwide to ensure everyone has access to this most essential resource: clean water.