| 67 CONTRACTING KB Contractors PROUDLY SUPPORTING KB CONTRACTORS Joanna van Turnhout NZISM & HASANZ member supporting Otago businesses get health and safety right, not just on paper. Proud to partner with KB Contractors 027 343 7222 joanna@tailoredhs.co.nz www.tailoredhs.co.nz 3020 T T Karen Phelps Contractors excel across multiple services Its trenchless services include horizontal directional drilling, pipe bursting, steel pipe ramming and thrust boring, supported by hydro excavation, ground-penetrating radar, excavations and pipe welding. For KB Contractors, getting underground does not always mean digging up the ground above. The Mosgiel-based company has built its reputation on trenchless technology, offering a breadth of specialist services that general manager, Danny van der Voort, says sets it apart in the Dunedin market. “There is no other company in the Dunedin area offering the range of services we do,” he says. Established in 1985 by Kelvin Read and Brent Reid, KB Contractors has more than 50 staff, including civil engineers, drainlayers, water reticulation specialists, horizontal directional drillers and polyethylene welders. The combination of specialist expertise, equipment and traffic management capability means it can manage projects from start to finish. Its capabilities span projects for gas, power and water reticulations, telecommunications networks, subdivisions, drainage work and more. Its trenchless services include horizontal directional drilling, pipe bursting, steel pipe ramming and thrust boring, supported by hydro excavation, ground-penetrating radar, excavations and pipe welding. A recent project for Aurora demonstrates how those capabilities can work together. KB Contractors replaced ageing 33kV cables between two substations, covering about 3.2km through a combination of conventional trenching and horizontal directional drilling to install ducting. Some sections presented particularly difficult terrain. “There were some really steep areas that couldn’t be trenched and laid,” says Danny. “It was even challenging to directional drill, but we managed to do it successfully.” The project also ran along busy Kaikorai Valley Road, making traffic management a key part of the work. KB Contractors operated day and night teams at one point, with night and weekend work scheduled to minimise disruption to local businesses. The company has also recently completed 2.2km of water main installation for Dunedin City Council at Waitati using directional drilling. The narrow, one-way road provides access to numerous homes, creating another traffic management challenge. Danny says using trenchless technology allowed the work to be completed faster than traditional open trenching. KB Contractors’ directional drilling capability is complemented with four horizontal directional drills, including the most recent purchase of a JCS130 machine, all supplied out of Germany over the past few years. A substantial investment, the machine can drill up to 180m in a single operation and accommodate ducts or pipes up to 500mm in diameter. Hydro excavation provides another way of protecting existing infrastructure. Rather than using an excavator around live cables and water mains, pressurised water loosens the soil before it is vacuumed away, reducing the risk of damaging underground assets. A new hydrovac unit purchased by the company was used on the Kaikorai Valley Rd project. KB Contractors also undertakes steel pipe ramming, including recent subcontracting work at Luggate and Albert Town, where steel sleeves were installed beneath state highways. Danny says the method is particularly useful where state highway crossings, difficult ground conditions and existing services make conventional excavation challenging. “Different projects require different methodologies and that is one of our strengths,” says Danny. KB Contractors is currently working on an ongoing three waters renewal contract for Dunedin City Council, and is developing a 25-lot subdivision at Blackhead, undertaking the roading, earthworks and underground services itself. Danny says the subdivision is something a little different for the company (it has completed one before at Outram), but utilises its core skills. Sections range in size from approximately 450-1350sqm and are being marketed through a local real estate firm. After more than four decades in the industry, Danny says the company’s point of difference remains its ability to constantly innovate and try new things. “The most important part of the business from day one has been the skilled and loyal staff. The company wouldn’t be anything without them.” Based in Mosgiel, KB Contractors completes projects across Otago and Southland and the lower South Island. “The most important part of the business from day one has been the skilled and loyal staff. The company wouldn’t be anything without them.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=