Industry News, trenchless people
GeoEngineers, Inc. is proud to announce that Principal Jonathan L. Robison, PE has been chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to lead the Task Committee creating a Manual of Practice about the trenchless method Direct Pipe®. The committee will be comprised of engineers, contractors, and equipment manufacturers and suppliers from across North America and Europe.
A manual in this ASCE series contains information useful to the average engineer in his or her everyday work, in this case Direct Pipe. Robison has been providing geotechnical, trenchless, geohazard, construction and geophysical project management and engineering services since 1997, and he is a registered Professional Engineer in 15 states. He has led the development of GeoEngineers’ Direct Pipe design process since the technology emerged. GeoEngineers staff, led by Robison, has completed engineering and construction services on numerous successfully completed Direct Pipe projects in the United States and Mexico. He is a member of ASCE and has presented seven technical, peer-reviewed papers on Direct Pipe engineering topics at industry conferences.
Robison is also involved in the trenchless pipeline industry as a member of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, in which he also serves on the annual No-Dig Conference Program Committee. In addition, he currently represents GeoEngineers on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech University. He works from GeoEngineers’ location in Springfield, Missouri, and he earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering at University of Missouri, Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science & Technology or Missouri S&T).
GeoEngineers, founded in 1980 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, is an integrated earth science and technology firm with 12 offices in Missouri, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, North Carolina and Louisiana. GeoEngineers specializes in crafting unique environmental, geotechnical, and ecological solutions for the energy, transportation, water and natural resource, federal, and development sectors, and it is currently ranked #223 in the 2017 Engineering News Record Top 500 National Design Firms survey and 23 of the 2017 Trenchless Technology Top 50 Engineering Firms.
GeoEngineers’ pipeline services include the entire life cycle of trenchless projects. This includes geohazards analysis and geological desktop studies; pipeline route selection assistance; feasibility analysis of trenchless methods, including geometry, workspace and constructability; and geotechnical investigations before engineering and construction begins. GeoEngineers also assists in pipeline projects with trenchless design engineering, bid specification preparation and pre-construction support, permitting, construction observation with detailed daily reporting, and post-construction documentation.
For more information, please visit www.geoengineers.com.
Industry News, trenchless people
April 12, 2018 – LAKE MILLS, Wisc. – HammerHead Trenchless of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, a Charles Machine Works company, has promoted three of its top personnel to newly created management positions. HammerHead President Kevin Smith said the new positions are part of an internal expansion initiative that strengthens the company’s existing focus on customers and users.
Smith said: “As we grow, we look to the leaders within our company to step up and help us continue the expansion of all our business areas. These new positions reflect the need to provide dedicated and specialized oversight to those areas of our business that most directly impact the growth and profitability of our customers. The people we’ve chosen have 54 years of industry experience between the three of them, and are known within the industry for their leadership. We look forward to even more success as they help us continue moving our company and industry forward.”
Ryan Boldan is now Director of Support Services. His responsibilities include Marketing & E-Commerce, Inside Sales, Customer Service, Service, and Training & Technical Services teams.
Brian Kenkel is now Director of Rehabilitation and Replacement. In this position Kenkel leads sales teams and provides product management for the HammerHead Trenchless Rehabilitation and Replacement division.
Jeff Urbanski is now Training & Technical Services Manager. In his new position Urbanski and a team of seven technicians are tasked with building HammerHead University – an education center dedicated to the trenchless industry. He will oversee the training facility and direct creation of all e-Learning and testing solutions.
All three promotions were effective immediately.
Photo 1: Ryan Boldan is now Director of Support Services at HammerHead Trenchless.
Photo 2: Brian Kenkel is now Director of Rehabilitation and Replacement at HammerHead Trenchless.
HammerHead® Trenchless, a Charles Machine Works Company, of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, USA manufactures and delivers a unique combination of rehabilitation, replacement and installation equipment and consumables for the underground construction market. Besides being a full solutions provider in rehabilitation and replacement, HammerHead also offers unmatched field support and project consultation to its customers worldwide. HammerHead products are proudly made in the U.S.A. and sold and serviced in more than 63 countries. For more information visit www.hammerheadtrenchless.com.
Industry News, trenchless people
GSSI, the world’s leading manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, proudly announces a new territorial sales restructuring designed to better serve customers. GSSI has reorganized its sales department into four regional territories to support further growth in its concrete inspection, non-destructive testing, and utility locating markets. With the new structure, application specialists will be based in the Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, and Southwest, making sales staff closer in proximity to customers. Customers can continue to expect best-in-class products and service support during 2018. Look for increased support staff and enhanced training class offerings in the coming year.
In the Northeast territory, Peter Masters will serve as application specialist. Peter has worked in the concrete and utility markets since 2005 and has been instrumental to the success of the StructureScan and UtilityScan products. He is actively involved in key industry associations, including the ASNT, ACI, CGA and NULCA. Based in the Greater Boston Area, Peter will be responsible for sales in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, DC, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
The Southwest territory will be served by Michael Phillips, who recently joined GSSI as an application specialist. Mike brings nearly a decade of experience in concrete construction product sales. He will be based out of the Las Vegas area and will serve customers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.
The Northwest territory will be served by Tom Timperman, who has been with GSSI for two years as the Search & Rescue Product Specialist. Tom brings 20+ years of senior level sales experience and is excited to expand his responsibilities into the concrete and utility markets. Tom is based in Spokane, Washington and will handle customers in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, and Washington.
Bruno Silla will serve the Southeast territory. Bruno has been a concrete application specialist with GSSI for four years. Based out of Fort Meyers, Florida, Bruno is actively involved in the Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association (CSDA), serving as the GPR Committee Vice Chair and Next-Gen Committee Vice Chair. His responsibility includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Caroline, Tennessee, and Texas.
About GSSI
Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. is the world leader in the development, manufacture, and sale of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, primarily for the concrete inspection, utility mapping and locating, road and bridge deck evaluation, geophysics, and archaeology markets. Our equipment is used all over the world to explore the subsurface of the earth and to inspect infrastructure systems non-destructively. GSSI created the first commercial GPR system over 45 years ago and continues to provide the widest range and highest quality GPR equipment available today.
Industry News, trenchless people
THOMPSON, CONNECTICUT USA, April 3, 2018:
Numa, the world’s leading drilling technology provider, has announced the addition of Mike Epley as Regional Manager. Mike is based in Austin, TX and will be responsible for new business development west of the Mississippi River. The position will require him to travel throughout the region to grow new direct and dealer sales of Numa’s DTH hammers and bits.
“Numa has grown to become the world leader in drilling technology by providing world-class expertise and products,” said Numa Vice President of Sales, Neal Kuszewski. “Mike is a great addition to our team and his deep experience shows Numa’s commitment to, and ongoing investment in, supporting drillers with a complete solution of people, products and technology.”
Mike commented, “Numa has a long history of being an innovator and leading provider of DTH products. I am very excited to join Numa and be able to offer customers a superior solution for their drilling needs.”
Mike comes to Numa with 29 years of experience in the drilling industry. For the past 5 years, he was one of the top salespeople for a leading rig manufacturer, where he was responsible for selling drill rigs and consumables to water well, quarry, mining and oil/gas customers. Prior to that, he worked for a drilling supply company in the southwest selling DTH products and rigs. Mike began in the drilling industry when he worked for 19 years at Epley Enterprises where he held many roles including in purchasing, production control, sales and upper management.
ABOUT NUMA
Numa provides the world’s leading drilling technology with over 100 DTH Hammer and Bit products serving 11 different industries. Our products are capable of drilling vertical, horizontal, and reverse circulation holes from 3½ to 50½ inches (89 – 1283 mm) in diameter in hard rock and unconsolidated formations. With customers located in 105+ countries, we have built our customer-centric reputation on providing the highest value in products, performance and personal service available in the rock drilling industry.
Industry News, trenchless projects
The University of Central Florida purchased a Vac-Tron AIR 373 SDT vacuum excavator in 2016 and shared the benefits this unit has created for the facilities.
“We didn’t have an initiative on campus to do soft digging and locating, so we went looking for a solution and Vac-Tron came out to be the best value for our money,” said Anthony Lugo, UCF Utility Supervisor.
Project Descriptions
Some of the initiatives that UCF utility workers handle daily include identifying and mapping the location of utility lines.
“We have a lot of old utility lines in the ground that haven’t been located in many decades. They have never been marked properly, and it is our job to find them, mark them, and put them on the map. Finding those lines can be time consuming and intrusive to the property. But the biggest obstacle, when you are part of the utility crew, is safety, you don’t want to hit electrical lines with a shovel.” said Lugo.
The utility crew is also responsible for emergency water line breaks. “Prepping the area for a water line break repair is a tedious job and time is of the essence.” added Lugo.
Solution
The Vac-Tron AIR 373 SDT vacuum excavation unit. The UCF AIR unit is powered by an 83 HP Yanmar diesel engine and comes standard with a 300-gallon debris tank, air pressure of 150 CFM at 170 PSI, hydraulically operated full-open rear door with auto engage safety latch, and one 100-gallon water tank. This unit also has the Patented Remote Debris Tank, which collects the dry material and then can be positioned back over the hole to put back into place without causing much disruption to the surroundings.
Upgrading from traditional methods of excavation, an excavator or hand shovel, to a Vac-Tron unit has greatly increased efficiency for the UCF utility crew. “It made things faster, it made things safer. It saves us a lot of time, what used to take 4-6 hours, now only takes 1-2 hours. We aren’t spending any unnecessary time doing a job.” said Lugo.
“The biggest thing is safety, safety is the key aspect. The Vac-Tron unit allows us to be safe in an expedited fashion. This is considered soft digging, which is just basically pulling the dirt out of the ground so you’re not striking anything. You could hit a high voltage electrical line, high pressure water or gas line, any number of things, and the Vac-Tron AIR unit helps to eliminate that.” stated Lugo.
Results
- Potholing quickly to locate old utility lines for identification and mapping
- 4-6 hour projects now take 1-2 hours
- Respond quicker to water line breaks
- Quicker repairs to water line breaks with the power of the vacuum excavator removing debris
- Cleaning of storm drains in an efficient way
- Wastewater spills quickly cleaned up
- Less intrusive to the campus’ infrastructure
- Less disruption to the environment
Multiple departments at UCF are also using the Vac-Tron unit. For example, the Landscaping and Recreation crew uses it to clean out storm drains, and the Design and Construction team will request it to locate lines for future construction on the campus. UCF has found multiple uses for the Vac-Tron unit. “This has been a godsend because we can actually find things without being as intrusive to the campus’ infrastructure. For the value we are getting, it has turned out to be priceless!” added Lugo.
Check out the full interview and video footage of the unit in action at UCF https://www.vactron.com/utility-crew-ucf-vacuum-excavation-case-study/.
Industry News, trenchless people
EVANSVILLE, IN – March 19, 2018 – Hydromax USA is pleased to announce that it has acquired Miller Pipetech, an environmental services company specializing in pipeline condition assessment for wastewater and natural gas utilities.
The acquisition of Miller Pipetech’s technical service division will enable Hydromax USA to increase its capacity to deliver on its high-demand, suite of service solutions for both critical gas cross bore identification and sewer condition infrastructure assessment programs. Throughout the country, cross bores continue to be a cause of concern as more and more stakeholders are addressing the problem and associated risks. Cross bores, unintended intersections of utilities, pose a threat to public safety and industry workers alike. All types of cross bores can cause damage, however the intersection of natural gas lines in sewer pipes are considered the highest threats. In addition, aging sewer infrastructure coupled with limited financial resources continues to further the need for utilities to understand the current state of buried sewer infrastructure in order to maximize their use of funds on rehabilitation.
This acquisition will strengthen Hydromax USA’s footprint in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, enabling Hydromax to extend the capabilities of its state-of-the-art Louisville Data Center to current clientele of Miller Pipetech. Louisville’s data center provides end client solutions and support to our clientele nationwide, delivering unmatched project quality assurance through our 100% audit approach; key program and infrastructure insights through our web-based business intelligence platforms; management, analysis, and integration of terabytes of program information into client information systems; and technical support of our field operations nationwide.
“The completion of this acquisition opens new opportunities for our clients, our employees and the communities in which we serve,” said Jeff Griffiths, Director, East Region for Hydromax USA. “We are very excited to begin to introduce our enhanced services to the Miller Pipetech client network and we look forward to a smooth transition as we add Miller Pipetech’s technical service assets and experienced personnel to our team.”
Hydromax USA’s services include:
GasSafe®
Our GasSafe™ suite of solutions puts critical data at your fingertips for planning, operations and regulatory compliance. These solutions are based on a unique, comprehensive combination of processes, GIS platforms and rigorous QA/QC requirements that provide high-confidence, verifiable results.
Cross Bore Inspection
Gas Leak Survey
GIS Data Integration
IntelliSpan 360™
Hydromax USA provides comprehensive evaluation and assessment of sewer systems using state-of-the art technologies and techniques. Pinpointing problem areas supported with precise, accurate data enables utilities to make cost-effective decisions in the rehabilitation of their infrastructure.
CCTV Inspection
Flow Monitoring
Manhole Inspections
Smoke Testing
Dye Water Flooding
MaxSense™
Our MaxSense multi-sensor inspection solution comprises any combination of inspection technologies, such as camera, sonar and laser. The key is to present the data in an efficient, easy-to-understand format that accurately describes corrosion, sedimentation and structural defects. HUSA has significant experience with several multi-sensor technologies offering advanced capabilities, such as continuous & simultaneous data collection with easily interpreted data in open source formats.
Hydromax also offers advanced solutions for the water industry through its advanced offering of condition assessment services p-Cat, Utilis, and IntelliSpan 360 – providing an unmatched portfolio of services to clients across the country.
“Hydromax USA uses many technologies to provide valid and reliable infrastructure condition assessment data to our clientele. We have capitalized on advancements in technology to develop a suite of unparalleled solutions for our clients in the sewer, gas, and water sectors. Our programs are designed to provide you with essential information that will help to improve capital investment and O&M planning, provide continuity for critical systems, manage risk, and facilitate regulatory compliance. Our portfolio of services, depth of experience, and customer-centric focus is what sets us apart from other firms.
Steve Lacy, CEO, Hydromax USA
The acquisition was completed March 19, 2018. Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed.
About Hydromax USA
Established in 2003, Hydromax USA is a professional services firm specializing in data collection in support of locating and assessing the condition of the country’s aging water, wastewater and natural gas conveyance systems. Hydromax USA’s vast experience with new technologies and techniques empowers contractors, engineers and utility owners to make the best rehabilitation decisions regarding their buried infrastructure.
Hydromax USA has performed infrastructure condition assessment programs that have evaluated hundreds of thousands of infrastructure assets, helped clients recover millions of gallons in lost water, and provided information management services for improvement of system models and development of GIS integrated solutions for utilities across the United States.
About Miller Pipetech
Miller Pipetech, together with its predecessors, is an environmental services company specializing in pipeline assessment and repair for utilities and service contractors for over 30 years. The company is a fusion of plumbing services and technical services, which are identified respectively as Miller Pipetech Plumbing Service Division and Miller Pipetech Technical Service Division. The Miller Pipetech Plumbing Service Division is not part of the acquisition and will remain in operation doing business as Ron Miller Plumbing, LLC.
Contacts:
Jeff Griffiths Jeff Graham
Director, East Region Director, Central Region
Phone: 757-353-1521 Phone: 502-548-8965
jeffrey.griffiths@hydromaxusa.com jeff.graham@hydromaxusa.com
Source: Hydromax USA, LLC
GeoEngineers, Inc. is proud to announce that Principal Jonathan L. Robison, PE has been chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) to lead the Task Committee creating a Manual of Practice about the trenchless method Direct Pipe®. The committee will be comprised of engineers, contractors, and equipment manufacturers and suppliers from across North America and Europe.
