An oilfield service venture set up by Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB) and Anton Oilfield Services Group (3337) is considering cutting costs because of the partnership’s slow progress. Sichuan-based Tongzhou IPM Services Co., set up in September 2012, is trying to cut operating costs and could reduce the number of workers, said Wang Bo, Anton’s Hong Kong-based spokesman. The move doesn’t imply that Anton and Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield-services provider, plan to shut the venture. “We think the unit could still be competitive in the oilfield-services market if we improve efficiency, control cost and react more quickly to market demand,” Wang said. Schlumberger’s Houston-based spokesman Joao Felix declined to comment and referred all questions to Anton. Schlumberger’s plan to take advantage of China ’s shale gas push and establish a presence in the resource-rich Sichuan province will take a blow should Tongzhou be dismantled. It may also add to troubles […]