DIG OR NO-DIG

THE MODERN APPROACH TO PIPE RENOVATION

PIPE BURSTING: Scandinavian No-Dig Centre specialises in machines which can renovate old underground pipes without digging up more than 5-10% of the old installation

Excavation is the most commonly used method involved when water or sewage pipes need renovation. It is also the most expensive, and the one which creates most disruption.

According to Jesper Nielsen, international sales and marketing director of Scandinavian No-Dig Centre, between 20 and 30% can be saved on a renovation task if its system is used instead of excavation. Scandinavian No-Dig Centre specialises in machines which burst the existing pipes as the new ones are inserted.

Scandinavian No-Dig Centre reckons that only 5-10% of an old installation needs to be dug up. These excavated spaces are used to deploy machines which hydraulically insert the new pipes, at the same time bursting the old ones. The machines can lay 70-100 meters of pipes per day, ready for use.

Understandable design
“We have our own customers, but we also act as sub-suppliers to major contractors,” says Jesper Nielsen. “We have been in business since the early 1970s, and have developed a product whose characteristics are widely recognised as essentially Scandinavian: simply designed and highly efficient. Our machines are easy for any contractor to understand how they work, and we ensure this through direct customer contact. Communication and knowledge exchange are essential to have satisfied customers.”

Growth in Russia Scandinavian No-Dig Centre has a 25-30% share of the global market. Non-excavation methods are popular in northern Europe, but in the last four years Russia has also increasingly adopted it. Scandinavian No-Dig Centre has recently supplied a machine to the water authority of Syvtivkar Vodokanak, a major city in north-east Russia. The company also supplied training, as well as extensive consultancy services.

The Asian market has many potential customers, but Jesper Nielsen thinks it will take time for them to accept this new method of pipe renovation. “It will need plenty of discussions, but I have no doubts that the Asian markets, especially China, will overtake the European market in a few years.”

US collaboration
In the USA, Scandinavian No- Dig Centre has entered an agreement to deliver pipe bursting equipment to Ditch Witch, a supplier of construction machinery for renovating water, sewage and gas pipes.

“We are very satisfied with this agreement,” says Jesper Nielsen. “Now we can fully concentrate on supporting Ditch Witch. We have also gained access to 350 dealers worldwide. It has taken us around a year to adjust our company to the new collaboration, but I have no doubt that we now have a six lane highway ahead of us.”

http://www.no-dig.dk