Today our lives are heavily dependent on the ever-changing technological landscape. The pandemic has only intensified the need for sophisticated connectivity. Heavy equipment that enables the installation of the cables that keep the communication going is therefore in increasing demand. BRON – heavy equipment manufacturer – is in focus as their machines facilitate the installation of fibre optic cables and other underground products.
Canadian heavy equipment manufacturer, RWF BRON, has been in business since 1974. In these 47 years, BRON has field tested their range of 21 products in numerous installations all dealing in different working conditions. The manufacturer, besides creating machines, also provides parts, reconditions used machines, has a range of pre-owned assets to choose from (for all budgets) and a sound after sales service programme that provides parts and service expertise to their dealers.
“We manufacture heavy equipment that specializes in the installation of underground products such as fibre optic cables, gas lines, water lines and conduit along with farm drainage tiles,” says Bill Burnet, Sales Manager at the company. Most of their equipment is sold through dealers worldwide. “The products we manufacture are of high quality enabling them to work in the most tough and challenging applications worldwide,” he continues.
The speed at which fibre optic cables are taking over from copper transmission cables has been gaining momentum for a while now. The Middle East remains the region with the highest fibre penetration (more than 90 percent) in the world led by Qatar and the UAE. All pointing to the need for BRON’s machines. “All of our utility products are sold through Vermeer Dealers worldwide,” says Burnet. Fibre optic cable installations are in high demand due to the 5G phone networks. “Our utility plows are designed for this application,” adds Burnet.
The BRON V-100
One of their popular products is the Utility Plow. The BRON V-100 is an Offsetting Add-on Vibratory Utility Plow that is designed for the installation of fibre optics, copper cables, conduits and pipes at depths of up to 72” underground. It is suited for a variety of ground conditions even in situations where tractor power is limited. The V-100 comes with custom backplates or mounting plates depending on the machine the plow will be mounted on.
It has an adjustable hydraulic blade which allows the operator to raise or lower the blade according to the depth of the operation. The blade also comes with two options of different sizes that are appropriate for the plow being used. One is the BRON Slant which has a limited slant and leaves a smaller window, the other option is the K-Line which has a more aggressive slant. The choice of blade is left to the contractor on the job.
The BRON TR450
The TR450 Wheel Trencher is apt for gas line and utility installations. The speed and maneuverability of this powerful machine leaves 40” to 50” smooth trenches in its wake. The design allows the machine to self-level itself. The hydraulic mainframe tilts the TR450 for perfect grading on slopes or unlevel ground. It has independently oscillating axles that make ideal ground contact and give a smooth ride on rough terrains.
The BRON 585 Drainage Plow
Providing all round visibility, plowing accuracy and operator comfort, the drainage plow balances power and agility. It comes with either a Cat C13B or a Cummins QSX15 diesel engine. It has a hydraulic blade lock – a combination of an internal and external hydraulic cylinder that fixes the blade in place at the required plowing depth. The operator can also remove the blade from its holder without any additional equipment.
The machine comes with a power feeder that positions the drainage tile between a hydraulically adjustable drive and weight wheel and the feeder then guides the tile into the installation chute preventing stretching.
The BRON VR4000
The BRON VR4000 Vibratory Ripper is built for dozers up to 1,200hp. It is designed to work on installations with compacted soil, shale, limestone rock and coal. It serves multiple industries such as mining, road construction and utility.
It weighs approximately 9,762 kilograms and has a maximum working depth of 48”. Its raised tooth ground clearance is 20” and the height of the mounted ripper from the top of the shank to the ground with both cylinders fully retracted is 151”.
Market demand
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries worldwide were either planning or in the process of fibre optic cable installations. The pandemic slowed most of the installations at the start but as of today are at full capacity on their projects,” says Burnet. However, parts supplier delays have led to a slowdown in BRON’s ability to produce their products. “Right now, the demand for our products is very good and we anticipate this demand remaining high for the next three to five years,” he adds.
Product design and development
“Most of the design work we do today is complementary to our current product lines. By that I mean we design and manufacture installation chutes for single or multi product installations,” says Burnet.
Each region has unique installation requirements for their products. “We gather information from the contractor through our dealers and design these attachments based on the information we receive. We then send the concept to the dealer to review with their customer and once they sign off on the concept, we begin the manufacturing process,” he says.
Research and development are a large part of BRON’s growth strategy. Based on dealer and customer communication, they are always working on new products to deliver to market. As a result of their manufacturing competence, they have been approached to manufacture products under licence for some other manufacturers. For such situations, BRON’s technical team discusses in detail the product’s requirements and design parameters to deliver the customer’s exact specification.
At present though, BRON’s focus is on manufacturing their current models for the agricultural and utility markets. Given the fact that water, sewerage, electricity, dams, and natural gas all require machines for underground work, the company is busy fulfilling ongoing orders and has little time and resources to work on new models.
Communicating constantly with their dealers who provide feedback on the products, which are in use in different industries on a variety of terrains, gives BRON the understanding to make their machines more productive, easier to operate and to increase their reliability and longevity. “We keep up with the current offerings of main line construction equipment to see if there is a technological fit with our machines. I would not call it a focus, but we are always looking to improve,” he adds.
Service and support
The manufacturer provides support for their utility products through their dealer network. Almost all their current products have telematics allowing BRON and their dealers the ability to diagnose product issues remotely. For their Self-Propelled Drainage plows, which are sold directly and primarily in North America, BRON has parts and service available to these machine owners. Their facility in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and in Leroy, Minnesota caters to them.
Specialised, made-to-order products mean competition on the utility side is minimal. Each product is built specifically for the industry and somewhat custom based on the application it will be used for. For the Drainage market however, there is competition from some manufacturers who build lighter and standard spec equipment. BRON’s drainage plows are considerably heavier and more robust and are customized based on the purchasers’ requirements.
The global fibre optics market is expected to be worth $8.6 billion by the year 2027. With the current pandemic, the market was valued at $6.7 billion until 2020. Essential industries such as healthcare, telecommunication, defense, vehicle navigation, environmental sensing and monitoring are all increasingly demanding the use of high bandwidth communication and data transmission services. Consequently, Burnet is confident about the future. He says: “Our machines and attachments are currently in demand. Globally existing cellular networks are converting to 5G, and new cellular networks are currently being installed underground. Power lines are being moved underground. On the agricultural front, it has been proven that crop yields are significantly better when fields have had drainage tile systematically installed. The world is moving forward at a very fast pace and heavy equipment is required to make that happen.”
