TRACTO-TECHNIK GmbH&Co.KG

Tracto-Technik is the largest European manufacturer of steerable and non-steerable trenchless pipe / cable laying systems. The company operates world-wide and has sister companies in the UK, France, USA, Australia, Switzerland and Morocco. Through 5 production plants and 5 service stations in Germany as well as a tight partner network all over Europe / the globe the equipment is supplied to contractors in all European countries / world-wide. Tracto-Technik was founded in 1962 by Mr Paul Schmidt and is today operated by his son, Mr Wolfgang Schmidt. Today, Tracto-Technik (Germany), and her sister companies TT UK (United Kingdom), Tracto-Techniques (France), TT Technologies (USA), TT Asia Pacific (Australia), Tracto-Technik Schweiz (Switzerland) and Tracto-Technik Afrique (Morocco), as well as Prime Drilling (large HDD rigs) and other affiliated companies form the TT Group of companies, offering the broadest range of equipment for trenchless laying and replacement of pipes and cables. The company has its own training department and participates in standardisation working groups to establish qualification and quality regulations for trenchless technologies. Three R & D and Technology Centres research provide an in-house capability for development and engineering covering all aspects of trenchless technologies, with the focus being on innovation. More than 10% of the company’s personnel of about 400 people are employed on R & D projects. Thus, more than 400 patents and several international innovation awards have been generated and are owned by Tracto-Technik.
Role in Project
Tracto-Technik’s role in this project will be:
- together with other partners to identify the end user requirements and to determine the system specifications
- together with other partners to develop / adapt the bore technology and the cuttings removal
- to design a validation plan and to coordinate the testing activities
- to coordinate the activities around exploitation planning
- to coordinate the knowledge management and IP issues
Relative Expertise
Tracto-Technik has successfully carried out these roles in previous EC funded projects
Relevant Projects
- Contract no: ENK6-CT-2001-00506 – GIGA - Ground penetrating radar Innovative research for highly reliable robustness/accuracy GAs pipe detection/location (under Framework 5)
Gas energy is highly contributing to a less polluting environment and thus requires the most efficient and safest transport. This requires using a reliable Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), in term of detection ROBUSTNESS, versus all types of pipes (as plastic) buried in all types of soils (as wet/heterogeneous clay) at deeper ranges. These hardened deep detection specifications are linked to the development of horizontal drilling systems which challenge is to remove digging trenches, hence allowing gas pipe installation with the best protection of the environment. This also induces higher ACCURACY location need. The GIGA research study contributes to solve the problem of more efficient and safer gas transport by providing relevant and quantified end-user detailed GPR specification/evaluation, in addition to innovative GPR research. - Contract no: 036856 – ORFEUS 1 - Optimised Radar to Find Every Utility in the Street (under Framework 6)
This project aimed to provide a step change in the performance of Ground Probing Radar Systems and to develop a system that can be deployed on the drill head of Horizontal Directional Drilling Machines. This lead to practical solutions that can be implemented cost-effectively to improve and provide capabilities to locate buried infrastructure with accuracy and reliability. This reduces the need for excavations in the highway, thus minimising direct and indirect costs, reducing the incidence of pollution and enhancing safety. - Contract no: 308356 – ORFEUS 2 - Operational Radar to For Every drill string Under the Street (under Framework 7)
ORFEUS aimed at progressing the prototype HDD bore-head radar technology that was developed under the preceding FP6 financed project entitled “ORFEUS 1 -Optimised Radar to Find Every Utility in the Street”. Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) offers significant benefits for urban environments by minimising the disruption caused by street works. Use of the technique demands an accurate knowledge of underground utility assets and other obstructions in the drill path. Subject was to design a prototype innovative ground probing radar (GPR) based real-time obstacle detection system to increase the safety margins of HDD to allow its use in the widest possible range of conditions.