This year’s Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) will be held in New Orleans January 30 through February 1. The underground utility and pipe infrastructure event focuses on new construction and pipe rehabilitation with educational sessions, seminars and an exhibit.
New equipment released in the trenchless industry this year includes Ditch Witch’s AT40 All Terrain horizontal directional drill, Herrenknecht’s first 250t pullforce Drilling Rig with a high torque rotary option and Hammer Head Trenchless’ Hyrdoguide HG2200, a 22t radio remote-controlled cable winch featuring a self-deploying hydraulic downrigger. Earlier this year Vermeer added the Silver Series Drill Rod to its line of HDD toolling. Mincon has added to its MP range of DTH hammers, introducing the new 18” Mincon MP180.
This year Vac-Tron Equipment introduced a new line to their vacuum excavation equipment, the CV Series. Other newer products include Vac- Tron’s JTV Series of vacuum excavators.
McLaughlin has introduced two new mid-range vacuum excavators, the ECO75 truck-mounted vacuum excavator and the VX75 trailer-mounted vacuum excavator.
TT Technologies said it will be displaying its full line of trenchless equipment, along with several new pieces of equipment aimed at the fiber optic and power cable installation markets.
Attendees will see new fiber optic cable blowing equipment, a cable & pipe pusher and a new Grundopit pit-launched mini directional drill.
In addition to new products launched in 2017 there have also been advances in software and user experience. This year American Augers introduced its Pinpoint service, a remote monitoring and maintenance system. Among the items users can track using PinPoint are carriage force, rotary force, carriage joystick, rotary joystick, mud psi and engine speed, hours and coolant temp.
Subsite Electronics announced in October its new Green Ops technology.
Using the company’s mobile bore planning app, ‘Field Scout,’ on a smartphone allows users to collect prebore analysis information and to upload it directly to a guidance display on the drill itself. Among the products and services released by National Trench Safety (NTS) this year is a mobile app for the excavation industry, and construction software company Plan Grid unveiled Field Reports, a tool to create realtime, customized reports in Plan Grid.
Other product launches in the industry include Propipe’s latest ROV Subsea Receiver Unit, which is able to detect both EM and Acoustic signals, and Schonstedt’s newest multi-frequency pipe and cable locator, Rex.
Business News
Avanti announced a new supply chain partner through ASDCO for urethane injection grouts. ASDCO said it ordered its first pallet of material in January in response to new and existing customer demand. “From my perspective, we’re just getting started and barely scratching the surface, but are extremely pleased with our progress in the first six months” said Russ Peterson an ASDCO branch manager.
On July 14 Trinity Shoring Products, through a subsidiary, acquired substantially all of the assets of Efficiency Production, Inc. Trinity Shoring has continued to operate the new company under the name Efficiency Production.
May River Capital completed its acquisition of BJM Pumps, a provider of submersible pumps, on August 30. May River Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on industrial growth companies.
Vermeer Corporation announced its acquisition of the remaining non-Vermeer interests of McLaughlin Group, Inc., in September. Vermeer took an initial vested position in McLaughlin in 2012, when it acquired a minority interest in the company. Of the transaction Jason Andringa, president and CEO at Vermeer Corporation, said “This is especially important in the area of soft-dig excavation where we see demand for equipment and expertise continuing to grow today and well into the future.”
In July Subsite Electronics announced the acquisition of the assets of R.S. Technical Services, designer and manufacturer of CCT remote inspection and monitoring cameras. “This acquisition adds a significant offering for lining contractors and municipalities in the rehab and replacement market broadening our solutions in the life cycle of the pipe,” said Rick Johnson, CEO of Subsite’s parent company, Charles Machine Works. McElroy, maker of pipe fusion machines, and Netafim, an irrigation company, announced this year they have partnered to meet the demand for HDPE pipeline solutions. Among new products launched in 2017 McElroy announced this spring it has designed an all-in-one fusion tool for outlet fusion of polypropylene pipe called the Hornet.
Linings
Liner Products introduced two new product lines in April, LPCure and LP-Light Ready-to-Install. Both are resin-saturated CIPP liners, adding to company’s range of traditional dry nonwoven felt products. Interplastic Corporation announced its new Corezyn vinyl ester resin in June and Raven Lining Systems has added new products to its AquataPoxy brand.
