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Sapphire Technologies prepares for expansion with appointment of Juan Villa as Vice President of Operations. Addition strengthens the company's operational leadership as Sapphire scales manufacturing capacity to support growing global data center demand. CYPRESS, Calif., Sept. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Sapphire Technologies, a leading manufacturer of power and cooling equipment, today announced the appointment of Juan Villa as Vice President of Operations. Villa joins Sapphire with more than 20 years of experience across manufacturing, supply chain, finance, logistics and operational excellence. His appointment comes as Sapphire continues to scale its manufacturing capabilities and global deployment strategy to meet growing demand for efficient power and cooling solutions. Sustained growth in artificial intelligence, data centers, and other energy-intensive industries has created opportunities for Sapphire to expand its product offerings and manufacturing capabilities. As developers and energy service companies continue to adopt its FreeSpin(R) technology to supply clean power and cooling to data center campuses, strengthening operational capabilities and expanding its manufacturing staff will be critical to supporting the company's next stage of growth. In his new role, Villa will lead Sapphire's manufacturing, supply chain and quality organizations, with responsibility for scaling production of the company's active magnetic bearings, variable frequency drives, controllers, and permanent magnet generators and motors. He will also oversee supplier strategy, quality processes and operational execution while working closely with engineering and sales to support customer deployments and long-term growth. "Juan's appointment comes at an important point in Sapphire's evolution," said Freddie Sarhan, CEO of Sapphire Technologies. "The opportunity in front of us is expanding at an unprecedented rate. As we scale, we need the operational discipline and systems to manufacture and deploy our technology efficiently across more customers, markets and applications. Juan's experience building high-performing, multi-site operations will be instrumental in helping us do that." Villa joins Sapphire following 14 years at NOV, where he progressed through leadership positions spanning logistics, supply chain, manufacturing and operational excellence. He spent many years overseeing multi-site manufacturing operations across the United States and Mexico. "Sapphire has reached an exciting stage where strong execution will be just as important as continued innovation," said Villa. "I'm excited to work with the team to build scalable manufacturing and supply chain operations that support the company's growth while maintaining the quality, responsiveness and operational discipline our customers expect." Before NOV, Villa held finance and operations roles at Fisker Automotive, Kia Motors America and Mazda North America. He began his career with the United States Marine Corps. About Sapphire Technologies Sapphire Technologies develops and manufactures modular power generation and cooling solutions for data centers, gas infrastructure, and utilities. Since 2021, Sapphire's FreeSpin(R) In-line Turboexpanders have been deployed in the energy sector to deliver reliable, clean generation. Scalable from kilowatt- to megawatt-class installations, Sapphire's systems help infrastructure owners rapidly add new power and cooling capacity, improve operational efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and lower electricity costs while creating new revenue opportunities. For more information, visit www.sapphiretechnologies.com.

NOV introduces the ION+ Stealth PDC Cutter Technology. ReedHycalog's latest shaped cutter is designed to improve efficiency without compromising durability. Aug 24, 2026 As operators drill deeper and farther through harder, more abrasive formations, high torque, vibration-related dysfunction, and cutter wear constrain drilling efficiency. Traditionally, improving drilling efficiency with polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) shaped cutters has meant accepting a tradeoff in durability. NOV ReedHycalog has introduced ION+(TM) Stealth cutter, its latest line of PDC shaped cutters designed to help operators drill faster through difficult rock without sacrificing reliability, bit life, and wellbore quality. "With the ION+ Stealth, we've developed a cutter that enables operators to achieve higher drilling efficiency without making the traditional sacrifices in cutter life," said Richard Rivera, Director, PDC Cutter Technology, NOV. Improving durability and efficiency PDC shaped cutters have transformed fixed-cutter bit performance by concentrating stress into the formation, fracturing rock more efficiently, and increasing rates of penetration (ROP). Those same concentrated forces, however, increase stress on the cutter, accelerate wear, and increase the risk of damage in interbedded lithologies and other challenging applications where higher ROP and lower torque are critical. ION+ Stealth is a patented curvilinear geometry that combines optimized planar and curved surfaces across the diamond table. The planar surface promotes rapid rock fracture for higher ROP, while the surrounding curved surfaces reduce reactive cutting forces and improve load distribution across the cutter face. Organic contours minimize stress concentrations around sharp edges, and an optimized working ridge increases diamond volume in high wear areas to improve impact resistance and extend cutter life. Together, this unique geometry enables operators to drill more aggressively while maintaining durability and control. The result is higher ROP, lower bit torque, reduced vibration, and longer cutter life compared with conventional cutter designs. Proven across demanding applications Field trials from West Texas to the Middle East have demonstrated that the ION+ Stealth cutter can overcome the traditional tradeoff between drilling efficiency and durability. In eight runs in a vertical intermediate well in the Delaware Basin, drill bits equipped with ION+ Stealth cutters increased ROP by 10% while drilling 13% more footage. In an 8.5-in. lateral offshore Abu Dhabi, the ION+ Stealth helped the bit achieve the highest on-bottom ROP of 240.9 ft/hr (73.43 m/hr), the best performance in the application. The bit was pulled in excellent overall dull condition. In Oman, the new shaped cutter technology helped the bit achieve the third-highest ROP in the directional well, despite drilling the longest interval - 1,427 ft (435 m) - at an average ROP of 84.5 ft/hr (25.75 m/hr). Advancing drilling performance As operators continue pushing the limits of drilling performance, innovations at the cutter level remain fundamental to improving efficiency and reliability. The ION+ Stealth reflects NOV ReedHycalog's continued commitment to advancing PDC cutter technology. By combining a patented curvilinear geometry and advances in materials science with sophisticated proprietary modeling software, the new cutter line helps operators achieve higher ROP, extend bit runs, and improve durability across various challenging applications and lithologies.