CAN>LOC™ and CAN>GRIP™ Help Meet Demands of Multibillion Dollar HDD Market
January, 2018
The global horizontal directional drilling (HDD) market is expected to reach $14.95 billion by 2022, according to a recent report by Grand View Research, Inc. The HDD market has grown every year and growth will continue to be significant and bullish according to the report. The need for HDD for electrical and natural gas utilities is expected to remain steady, ensuring growth.1 Telecommunication, in particular, grows at a highly profitable rate since HDD is used for installation of cellular towers, cellular transmission lines, and fiber optic lines for the increasing demand for high-speed data transmission.
HDD is used to connect underground pipes, wires, cables, and ducts with a trenchless underground drill technique that minimizes damage to infrastructure and environment. Fewer disturbances to commercial activities and traffic, less need for site rehabilitation, and less damage to natural habitats have increased demand for HDD. According to The Balance, a construction trade publication, HDD is safer and less vulnerable to weather issues than open trench work and is ideal for sites sensitive to disruptions like heavy traffic roadways and airport runways.2 To better understand the benefit of HDD, imagine installing power or telecommunications duct at a university without having to demolish or rebuild any parking lots. Also called directional boring, HDD involves three steps, including drilling a small diameter pilot hole, pre-reaming to enlarge the hole, and pulling the pipe through the pre-reamed hole.
The thriving HDD market creates an excellent opportunity for electrical distributors to tap into the industry with products that can better serve HDD operations and utility companies. CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP, the high-quality, easy-to-assemble directional boring conduit systems developed by CANTEX, are two such products.
How can CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP directional drilling conduit systems better serve the HDD industry?
HDPE conduit is currently the duct most used for HDD applications. HDPE is stored and transported on large reels that often cause job site problems and safety hazards. Some HDPE on each reel actually loses its shape and becomes unusable, while there is no product waste with CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP. CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP also maintain greater fill capacity because they are not susceptible to distortion. HDPE distortion issues also lead to installation problems when HDPE maintains the curve of the reel. Bent HDPE can’t be pulled through a bore hole. With CAN>LOC or CAN>GRIP, there are no installation problems from shape distortion. There is also no injury risk with CAN>LOC or CAN>GRIP from the tension release that often occurs when HDPE is removed from reels. Much lower freight costs and no reel handling or disposal costs are added benefits to using CAN>LOC or CAN>GRIP.
“CANTEX’s directional boring conduit products are great for horizontal directional drilling jobs. They require much less work than HDPE, because they lock with a water tight grip without cement. Plus we don’t have to deal with reel disposal. Not only are they a better alternative to HDPE, they are stronger and have better features than other directional drilling conduit systems on the market,” said Bruce Blessing, CEO of Pipeline Utility Contractors.
What are other benefits of the CANTEX directional boring conduit systems for HDD applications?
CAN>LOC is easy to assemble with a patented locking ring and watertight gasket mechanism. No solvent cement is needed for joint connections or to form a secure, watertight seal. Both CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP come with the best watertight Rieber gaskets. Using CAN>GRIP is as easy as inserting the spigot end of the pipe directly into the belled end. The patented gripper ring acts as the connection point. Similarly, no fusion splicing is necessary with CAN>LOC or CAN>GRIP. Easy assemblage saves labor time and cost. Contractors are actually able to do more bores per day. For added efficiency, CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP can be hand-carried onto the most difficult job sites in contrast to heavy HDPE reels that require extra time, labor and equipment for rough terrain or irregular job sites. While lighter for transport, CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP are both strong and flexible, making them ideal for the directional drilling pulling process and for bores up to 1000 ft.
Why is CAN>LOC better than the competitor’s directional boring conduit products for HDD?
Both CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP have a 25 to 30% stronger joint pull rating over other boring conduit systems. Their connection points are a few inches further up the barrel of the bell end, which deflects connection tension. This feature makes both CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP less likely to have connection failure or breakage from the stress of directional changes during underground pulling. This is crucial, since connections that break underground are labor intensive and very costly because underground breakage requires vertical digging. Similarly, while competitors notch material out of both ends of their conduit to accommodate the locking strap, CANTEX added a piece of molded PVC inside the belled end for the CAN>LOC locking strap. Less material taken out contributes to the much better pull test results. Additionally, the watertight gaskets within the bell of CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP are almost twice the size in depth of the competition and made specifically for water applications.
This huge multibillion dollar HDD industry is new enough that contractors are continually seeking ways to simplify and cut costs of trenchless installations. CAN>LOC and CAN>GRIP directional drilling duct systems not only eliminate many of the costly problems of HDPE pipe including reel handling, fusion welding, product waste, and injuries, both products also have a quality, function and strength advantage over competitive products.
Call a CANTEX agent today to find out which CANTEX directional drilling conduit system is best for your project.
- Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Market Analysis By End-use and Segment Forecasts to 2022, www.grandviewresearch.com
- The Benefits of Directional Boring, www.thebalance.com