An interview with Rob Doorman, Managing Director of Burtec.
What is your background and can you tell us a bit more about Burtec?
”I’ve been in the infrastructure sector for about 26 years. Particularly in the development of infrastructural machinery for sale and rental. I love the challenging projects and the diversity of people I meet every day. At Burtec, we build and supply a broad range of machinery for infra works. Our electric core drilling rigs and bitumen sprayers play an important role in our range. With a rapidly growing demand for sustainable machinery, they have been the focus of significant innovation in close cooperation with Intercel. In other words: we wanted to get our clients away from diesel as quickly as possible, and that’s exactly what we achieved. For us, innovation comes with the prerequisite that it always has to be a major step forward. Significant benefits on all fronts: zero emissions, safe, low noise, and easy to use.
Can you say a little more about your clients?
”They are small and large infra companies in the Netherlands and abroad. The specialists in soil-quality control for infra works represent an important group. They all have their own specific requirements. Therefore, our machinery comes in a basic version but it can also be customised. We build it to the client’s specifications. For those clients, we engineer and supply our customised machinery exactly to spec. Now projects within the EU increasingly have to be fully net-zero, our electrified range is even more important.”
What is most important to your clients?
”The prerequisites are net-zero emissions, safe, sustainable, CE standards, and TÜV tested. Sustainability and net-zero emissions are important to our clients in order to bid successfully in certain tenders. But environmentally-friendly material choices matter too: from drive systems to the varnishes and the materials we use for the bodywork.”
What are the specific improvements in your core drilling rig?
”Our core drilling rig can be fully customised. For example, the content of the water tank, lighting, and all the possible accessories. The electrification is achieved with a customised lithium battery of Intercel. The lithium battery has a massive capacity and the client can charge it anywhere. The battery is fully charged inside 2.5 hours. The noise level has reduced drastically and that is great for the user and the immediate surroundings. It complies with strict European standards, a point that is really important to those clients who often acquire projects through tenders. With all these things we contribute to a healthy chain of companies, but also to a better world.”
Which role does electrification play in conversations with your clients?
”They really want to know everything. Naturally, how long the battery will last, the safety, the capacity, whether they can be repaired, and which partner supplies them. Where they can be charged and how long they take to charge. For clients it is important that we work with a Dutch player who is accessible and who provides services. That is why we were determined in our choice of Intercel. They are the right partner for us, with the right products and the right advice. Their Engineer to Order concept is tremendous. They consider the issues, produce the right performance, and take account of special requirements. In the case of the core drilling rig, they are the vibrations that are released. Intercel’s customised batteries are designed so they can withstand those. Intercel and Burtec are a great team based in the Netherlands.”
Can you say something more about the value Intercel provides to you?
”It is not just the advice and the batteries. It really is the total solution: from battery to transformer and from charger to cabling. Intercel is our dream partner, because we can really discuss everything together. Together we look at the future and consider how we can improve things and innovate further. It’s a wonderful feeling when you can learn together without barriers.”
