Underground Infrastructure - June 2023 - 20

25th Annual Directional Drilling Survey
also productive. Those people are just
almost impossible to find right now. "
" We are continuing to work with tech
schools, public schools, job fairs - anybody
we can think of - to groom new
workers, " explained this respondent.
" We have a work-as-you-learn program
that mentors and trains new employees.
What is the most common type of pipe installed via HDD?
60
55.0 HDPE
50
48.3
49.0
49.1
49.3
And we pay very competitively while
they are being trained. "
Yet another contractor lamented
that " untrained help is bad for business,
and hard on equipment. "
Supply chain issues also continue to
choke the HDD market. While showing
improvement, availability of certain
40
30
26.1
20
Rig sales
12.1
10
8.8
4.7
2018
8.7
4.6
2019
11.4
10.8
8.7
4.9
2020
10.1
8.9
4.8
2021
Important qualities contractors seek from vendors
(percent of respondents citing only one characteristic)
50
7.7
7.1
3.0
2022
Steel
Other
Ductile/
Iron
40
30.8%
30
28.1%
22.2%
20
12.6%
10
5.3%
1.0%
Service
Availability
Quality
20 JUNE 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Cost of
service/equipment
Technical
knowledge
Location
Rigs continue to be sold months in
advance of expected delivery. While both
major and small HDD rig manufacturers
have succeeded in shortening the purchase/delivery
gap, there still remains a
substantial time lag. " But it's getting better, "
stressed one manufacturer.
One manufacturer has added a night
shift, while yet another has brought in
a weekend shift. All these are efforts to
keep up with the manufacturing process,
as supplies are slowly arriving in
a more expeditious manner and rig
orders remain stacked up. Dealers continue
to scramble to find local answers
to obtain minor parts and complete
almost-finished rigs.
The extremely heavy use and long
hours of work for small rigs has shortened
their effective life. And it's not just
the rigs themselves. All kinds of steel
replacement parts, tools, drill pipes, etc.
have been in short supply. Further, soaring
prices have driven items like drill
pipe to record levels.
The 2022 rig sales climbed back up to
2,492, reflecting enhanced availability of
smaller rigs and offseting the continued
depressed sales of large rigs.
Another hiccup in the market is what
26.3
26.5
26.9
27.2 PVC
sizes of rigs remains tight. Based upon
the overall size, growth and demand
for the fiber market, due to fiber and
increasingly electric distribution, one
would think small rig sales would be
booming. And indeed, they are. However,
slowed by first COVID followed
by worker shortages and finally the
severe supply chain issues, the small
rig market has struggled mightily since
2020. The issue is meeting contractor
demand for not only expanding crews
but simply replacement equipment.
http://UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Underground Infrastructure - June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Underground Infrastructure - June 2023
