In the North Central states, about 9% of those polled said that they face the utility threat today. Projecting five years out, 21% believe utilities will be their major competition. Statistically, companies in the Northeast and Southern states are most likely to form partnership agreements with the utilities.

Numerous contractors on the West coast are looking at the possibility of being bought out by consolidators. They are also leading the country in forming alliances to the major retailers. Over 50% of all those surveyed said that they now offer a wider range of services than they did only five years ago.

There is a great deal of movement across the board in the contracting business today. You must get wise to all of the changes or suffer the same fate as countless businesses that failed to progress with their industries in the past.

Trenchless companies break new ground
The trenchless branch of our industry has made some amazing advances in 1997. The record length for boring and pipe placement is approaching 600 linear feet. They can run pipe at practically any depth, can bore 4ft diameter holes through solid rock and traverse underneath rivers with new pipeline systems, all without trenching. In a straight run, they dig a work pit at the top of the run and another pit at the point of termination. Then it's just a matter of connecting the dots. I have read numerous articles that claim that clay pipe is the best to use and the longest lasting material. I guess those proponents haven't done much work in earthquake areas. The camera systems that trenchless companies utilize are akin to what you would see with a municipal application. Sophisticated, tractor driven cameras with pan and tilt capabilities are the usual tools. These folks can slipline a city sewer main between two manholes [about 300 ft] in just a few hours — again, no street trenching. When a main is sliplined, the lateral inlets are blocked by the new liners. Special cameras with robotic drilling attachments are re-inserted into the manholes and advanced to the now blocked inlets along the main line. The arm reaches out and trims a hole in the liner so incoming flow from laterals is restored.

Lateral repairs may or may not be the responsibility of the property owner, depending on local municipalities. So, the trenchless companies are looking for ways to inspect laterals easily. Guess what? Small camera systems that are mostly used by plumbing and drain cleaning companies are about to make a big splash in the trenchless industry.