IHS Group Acquires MAI Consultants

Business Wire, August 13, 1998

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 13, 1998--

World's Leading Source of Operating and Cost Data for Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production - New Energy Information Franchise

Information Handling Services Group Inc., a leading international information database publishing group, announced today the acquisition of MAI Consultants Limited by its energy division, IHS Energy Group. MAI is based in London, England, with additional operations in Scotland, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Japan, and Australia.

MAI (www.mai.co.uk) is the world's leading source of cost and operating data, along with analysis and modeling tools, used to assess oil and gas exploration, development and production projects. MAI's unique portfolio of integrated products supports development planning, cost estimating, and economic analysis by oil and gas companies, service companies, and their consultants. The company has a strong presence in emerging oil and gas markets, such as in the former USSR.

Chris Meyer, president of IHS Group and chairman of IHS Energy Group, explained that "MAI's business is highly complementary to IHS Energy Group and our fast growing Economics and Policy Analysis Group, also based in London." He is "excited by the potential to develop a whole new information franchise, built around oil and gas economic information and analysis." Meyer also expects IHS Energy to "benefit from MAI's established contacts and success in several increasingly important frontier oil and gas markets, particularly in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan."

Over the past few years, MAI has developed a series of new and unique databases and related information tools. These products now account for the majority of revenues. MAI's remaining consulting business is also information intensive and typically involves the acquisition, processing, and evaluation of considerable amounts of relevant economic and cost data. MAI uses its proprietary software and databases in performing individual consulting assignments, while also simultaneously developing practical new commercial tools and applications.

The managing director and founder of MAI, Keith Doherty, is appointed as a member of the Office of CEO of IHS Energy. Reporting to Chris Meyer, Doherty will be responsible for supervising the ongoing development of both MAI and IHS Energy's Economics and Policy Analysis Group.

Doherty is "very excited by the potential to push forward new development initiatives with the additional financial, technical, and sales and marketing support of IHS Energy." He is "particularly impressed by IHS Energy's focus on developing `best of breed' information solutions to better serve the oil and gas industry's increasingly sophisticated requirements."

IHS Group (www.ihsgroup.com) is a leading international publisher of electronic information databases, with annual sales of approximately $440 million. Its individual operating companies all serve the vital information needs of customers across a variety of technical, business and professional markets. IHS Energy Group, trading as Petroleum Information/Dwights in the US and Canada (www.pidwights.com), Petroleum Information (ERICO) in the UK (www.petinf.co.uk), and Petroconsultants in the rest of the world (www.petroconsultants.com), is the leading publisher of information relating to oil and gas exploration, development and production activities.

For more information, please contact Miles Baldwin, vice president, Corporate Development, IHS Group, tel.: ( 1-303) 397-2228, E-mail: miles.baldwin@ihsgroup.com or Erin Smit, Public Relations, IHS Group, tel.: ( 1-303) 397-2882, E-mail: erin.smit@ihsgroup.com.

    CONTACT: IHS Group
              Miles Baldwin, 303/397-2228
              miles.baldwin@ihsgroup.com
                    or
              Erin Smit,303/397-2882
              erin.smit@ihsgroup.com