A Bangor engineering firm has acquired a New Hampshire drilling company to expand its footprint across New England.

S. W. Cole Explorations LLC, a division of S.W. Cole Engineering Inc., has acquired the equipment and materials of Great Works Test Boring Inc., according to a release from S.W. Cole. In the deal, S.W. Cole obtained three drill rigs and associated equipment, bringing the number of rigs it owns to five.

“New England currently has a very high demand for drilling services,” said General Manager Kevin Hanscom in the release. “This acquisition will allow us to grow our business and further meet the demands of the region.”

In conjunction with the acquisition, S.W. Cole has hired former Great Works driller Jeff Lee, who has worked with the Maine company as a subconsultant on hundreds of projects.

Great Works was founded in 1989 in Rollinsford, New Hampshire. It will continue to provide other services, including wood pellet sales and feed, at Great Works Feed Supply in Berwick.

S. W. Cole Engineering is a 37-year-old geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and geo-environmental services firm with 90 employees and eight offices in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.