Allouche, E N; Ariaratnam, S T and Lueke, J S (2000) Horizontal directional drilling: Profile of an emerging industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 126(1), pp. 68-76. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Perhaps the fastest growing segment in the underground trenchless construction industry is horizontal directional drilling (HDD). Currently, in North America alone, there are 17 manufacturers of HDD rigs and accessories and thousands of horizontal drilling rigs that are owned and operated by several hundred dedicated HDD contractors as well as utility companies and large pipeline outfits. Applications of HDD span across the civil engineering spectrum from mineral and oil exploration to the installation of telecommunication cables. An industry survey was conducted to gain a better understanding of this multibillion dollar industry, which is relatively unfamiliar to many in the construction sector. This paper presents the results obtained from analyzing 49 survey responses from HDD contractors in the United States and Canada. Topics investigated include company profile (e.g., annual volume, areas of activities); type of projects performed (e.g., applications, value, duration, type of product installed), and bidding and estimating practices (e.g., productivity values in various formations, cost of installation), Current and future trends in the industry are identified and discussed.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | pipeline, productivity, Canada, construction industry, duration, United States, manufacturer, survey, exploration, drilling, telecommunication, construction sector, bidding, estimating |
| Subjects: | Geography, management, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, building construction, project controls, practitioner, data collection methods, financial and cost management, bidding, environmental resource management, communication |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Sustainability, Procurement, Construction Technology, Roles and Professions, Time Control |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here