In the coming years, the instalment of fibre optics on the local streets across the country will become an increasingly familiar sight. This was always a resource heavy activity, with cost cable-laying teams having to undertake a lot of digging, but not much longer. A leading player in this field, Atsa Infra Tel Ltd., successfully tested Auger Torque trencher on an excavator in collaboration with Auger Torque trenching tool importer Verhoeven.
Verhoeven Grondverzetmachines Ltd was
started in 1957. with three branches in Maarheeze, Zeewolde and Ninove.
Over the years, Verhoeven has developed into a sales and service
organisation in the field of earth-moving machines, equipment and
undercarriage components. Since 1 June 2017, Verhoeven is the exclusive
importer of the Auger Torque brand in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The
company Atsa Infra Tel specialises in providing connectivity
infrastructure. Their mission is to ensure that the whole of the
Netherlands can be connected to the most modern telecommunications
network. With more than twelve years of practical experience, Atsa Infra
Tel has built up an impressive clientele consisting of leading main
contractors in infrastructure, such as: BAM, Spie, Allinq, VokerWessels
and van Gelder. In 2015, Atsa Infra Tel focused on the contracting of
projects. Thanks to the presence of experienced personnel, Atsa quickly
expanded into a company with a high reputation in the industry.
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In December 2018, KPN Telecom started laying fibre optics cables in four Dutch cities. Part of the telecommunications company's new strategy is that it wants to connect one million households to the fibre network by 2021. This strategy is accelerating KPN's transformation from a telephone company into a modern telecommunications company. T-Mobile has also received approval in Rotterdam to provide 35,000 houses with fibre connections. An estimated 32,000 km or more of cable will be laid in the ground in the coming years. Atsa Infra Tel is one of the bigger parties that carry out their own excavation work for laying cables. The above-mentioned developments mean that without expansion, Atsa Infra Tel cannot take on any more new business until 2023! Owner Mr Harun Sarac says: ‘We now excavate most trenches for fibre optics cables using our Takeuchi TB216 machines equipped with a trenching bucket. Considering the large amount of work in the market, we cannot stand still, and we are thus always looking for innovative solutions. As we have been a customer of Verhoeven for years now, we joined forces in looking for new possibilities. The question was a simple one: how can we cut our trenches more efficiently and effectively?” |
We found the solution to this customer need in the Auger Torque trencher.
This
trencher is unique in that Auger Torque is the only supplier of
trenchers for mini excavators. The trencher can be easily mounted onto
an excavator by the operator. Sarac: ‘We no longer want to lay the
telecommunications cable at 60 cm, but at 45 cm. This makes it possible
to use a trencher without touching utilities. We hope that attaching a
trencher to our excavator will speed up our work.’
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On a Takeuchi TB240, operator Marc Kursten demonstrates the Auger Torque MT600 with a 100 mm HD chain weighing 254 kg. He achieved an average of two metres a minute, including avoiding tree roots and removing rubble. The test proved that the Auger Torque trencher is the perfect answer to the prevailing market demand for a solution for cutting trenches effectively and efficiently. Sarac was also very impressed. ‘This works fabulously, at least it gets the job done quicker!’, he said. The machine's power in combination with the trencher ensures significantly better performances compared with separate trenchers that are available on caterpillars. |
Once it is level with the ground, the trencher cuts at the optimum cutting angle while retaining the right depth.
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Drawing the trench is just as simple as reversing the mini excavator. You can cut a perfect trench at a steady pace. Even less experienced operators will find cutting a trench a piece of cake. Sarac concludes by telling colleague companies that ‘the combination of a trencher and an excavator is extremely suitable for laying fibre optics cables such as those provided for by Asta Infra Tel, but certainly also for companies that lay piping from A to B in greenhouses, for example, or companies that provide drainage solutions. There is plenty of work!’ |
