Written by R.C. Drews for Enterprise Minnesota®

From its 78,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Brownsdale, Akkerman, Inc. produces high-grade tunneling and boring equipment capable of delivering underground water and sewer lines across distances of hundreds of feet and through complex, developed urban areas.

Akkerman’s customers are construction firms — including big industry names — that specialize in trenchless underground construction. Most of the work is in sewer installation, often for municipalities demanding tight tolerances while navigating existing gas and water lines, through pressurized ground and under rivers, and beneath functioning roads and railways.

Company president Justin Akkerman says his company prides itself on precision, based on decades of research and development. That product, however, depends on skilled operators, and the industry it supports is facing increased turnover and a need for faster and more effective equipment training at greater scale.

For a company with a history of innovation, it’s just another opportunity knocking.