As we close out a remarkable business year, I want to take a moment to reflect and express my deepest gratitude to the trenchless industry and our extended Akkerman community. This year brought both great success and profound loss. With my father Maynard Akkerman’s passing in July, we experienced an outpouring of love and support […]
Giving Thanks for ProgressA Year of Innovation and Strength As we look back on the past year at Akkerman Inc., I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the continued trust and partnership of our customers, colleagues, and industry friends. Thanks to your support and partnership, we’ve reached new milestones together this year. Together, we’ve […]
Maintaining Variable Frequency Drive Capacitors in Microtunneling Written by Weston Alberts Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) play a critical role in microtunneling operations by allowing operators to control the speed of three-phase electric motors. This control is essential for managing the cutterhead and slurry flow rates under varying conditions. Role of Capacitors in VFD Operation Many […]
Akkerman Celebrates 30 years of Microtunneling Innovation In 1995, Akkerman made history as the first U.S. manufacturer to design and build slurry microtunneling systems domestically. That bold step not only reduced reliance on overseas technology, but also redefined what was possible in trenchless construction across North America. Over the last three decades, this pioneering achievement […]
Guided Auger Boring: A Precision Approach to Trenchless Utility Installation By: Jason Holden, Vice President, CRO – Akkerman Inc. As infrastructure demands grow and surface disruption becomes less tolerable, guided auger boring (GAB) continues to gain traction as a reliable, accurate, and cost-effective trenchless solution. Frequently specified under the designation of Pilot Tube Guided Auger […]
Brierley Associates Visit Akkerman Brierley’s Cottage Grove, MN team recently had the opportunity to tour Akkerman Inc.’s primary manufacturing facility in Brownsdale, MN. Alongside our partners at Barr Engineering, we explored the factory floor and gained firsthand insight into how Akkerman designs, builds, and maintains their broad range of trenchless equipment—including pilot tube, MTBM, TBM, […]
What Determines Your Disc Configuration? When it comes to cutterhead tooling, there are a multitude of options available today. Disc cutters are no exception. From different disc diameters to different cutting rings and mounting configurations, there are a variety of disc cutters to choose from. So how is a final cutter configuration selected for a […]
Don’t Let the Little Things Turn into Big Things You’ve probably seen those sappy Hallmark cards reminding us to pay attention to the little things—because in the end, they often turn out to be the big things. I doubt the folks behind those cards were thinking about trenchless construction, but honestly, the wisdom still applies. […]
By: Robin Lorenzen, Sales Manager, Akkerman Inc. If you own a microtunneling system that has been sitting idle in your equipment yard for a while, and you now have a new project lined up, it’s crucial to prepare before arriving on-site. Downtime and mistakes in the field can be costly—so let’s get everything ready in […]
Pilot Tube Precision By Terry Fisher Every contractor’s goal when installing pilot tubes is to complete the bore the first time. Imagine this project scenario. An operator is installing pilot tubes on a road crossing project. The operating pressure looks good, and they are advancing with 30% of the pilot tubes installed, moving toward 50% […]
Depths of Innovation As we launch into a new year, Akkerman is proud to continue pushing the boundaries of underground construction. As we embark on 2025, Akkerman is excited to delve deeper into the “Depths of Innovation.” Building on our 50-year legacy of pioneering underground construction solutions, we continue to enhance our equipment to maximize […]
As the year comes to a close, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your trust and partnership throughout 2024. Our clients were instrumental in making this year a success, and we’re excited to continue building on that foundation in 2025.From all of us at Akkerman, we wish you a joyful […]
