95-year young family business is already sorting for emission-free future

H. van Dieren Hei- en Waterwerken is now a household name in the foundation industry. The family business is involved in a wide variety of foundation issues and has been committed to creating solid foundations for 95 years. And for some time now, this has also been possible completely emission-free. Harald van Dieren, the fourth generation, takes us on a look at some noteworthy projects.

Whether it involves driving many thousands of piles with multiple machines or driving in a factory hall or under a structure with height restrictions, H. van Dieren Hei- en Waterwerken always finds a solution. "We attach great importance to good preparation and clear agreements with our clients, so that we are not faced with any surprises during execution," Harald adds. "A good example of this is the new junction of business park H2O in Wezep, right next to the A28 motorway, for which we carried out the piling work."

Solid base

The connection from the A28 to the road towards business park H2O was not exactly future-proof. "To make and keep the business park more accessible, a new viaduct is being built over two 2-lane roads, without a center pillar. So quite a considerable span, which will be quite heavy," says Harald. "It's up to us to create a solid foundation for the new viaduct, tight along the A28. That fact, combined with the fact that the 272 precast concrete piles - in square 45 and with a maximum length of 20 meters - had to be driven in braces, made it interesting and challenging for us. Not to mention the fact that the piles had to be installed in a period of only three weeks, part of which we also had to pre-drill to avoid subsidence of the highway. Good preparation and coordination is then essential, with maximum attention to the safety aspect."

Electric piling rig

For some time now, H. van Dieren Hei- en Waterwerken has had an electric piling rig, a Junttan PMx22e. "The rack is currently running at full capacity on a project in Dronten where we are installing a total of about 4,000 piles," says Harald who says he has been positively surprised by the machine's potential. "The machine runs flawlessly and makes the same production daily as a regular combustion engine rack. For large and heavy construction machines, that is quite unique. Above all, it is a very complete machine, equipped with an electronic calendar system and a slightly heavier 6-ton pile driver. This enables us to also drive larger piles completely emission-free. One night on the construction power is enough for a full production day. In addition, there is a possibility to exchange batteries. In short, a versatile machine with which we can still move forward in these challenging times of nitrogen and other perils."