14.05.08
TBE Group brings subsurface utility engineering to the UK
With a constantly increasing population density, the UK faces daunting challenges in dealing with unknown or misidentified underground facilities which may cause unexpected delays, repairs and even injuries for any construction project. For this reason, the world leader in underground utility engineering, the TBE Group is launching its innovative approach in underground mapping to the UK market known as subsurface utility engineering (SUE).
The civil engineering and consulting firm specialises in the unique field of SUE, which is a utility identification, location and consulting process for the planning and design of construction projects. It is set to become an essential progression in identifying and locating underground utilities for industries such as transportation, civil engineering and the utility infrastructure – and TBE will prove vital in this realisation.
Nick Zembillas, utilities division senior vice president of the TBE Group is an internationally recognised expert in underground utility engineering. He explained: “There is a great demand to address the challenges of locating and identifying underground facilities and we believe that TBE’s international experience can greatly benefit the UK.
SUE is a highly efficient, non-destructive engineering process that incorporates a range of specialist techniques, and unlike general locating and mapping services, is so accurate that TBE will take full responsibility for the findings our engineers present.”
The process is essential in the design phase of a construction project and in the long term can be a very cost effective solution. Without it, there is a risk of incurring extremely high costs when coming across unknown subsurface utilities such as construction delays, increased repair costs and health and safety risks from injury, to the worst-case scenario, death. As well as this, locating unknown utilities can cause major interruptions to normal societal activities and the business economy which is only too common in the UK.
Nick Zembillas continued: “We tailor SUE to each individual project, but this typically includes five major field activities; the scope of work, designating, locating, data management and conflict analysis. By considering these five factors, SUE information is far more accurate and comprehensive, and as a result, is more applicable to project designs.”
To launch its UK presence, TBE has opened its first office in Retford, Nottinghamshire. James Lewis, who will head the office as business unit manager, explained: “Having seen the emergence of utility mapping as a project risk management tool, TBE and SUE are the next logical step to bringing this aspect of civil engineering onto a more professional and accountable industry standard.
“I will assist in capitalising on this special expertise to bring a more cost effective and secure solution to buried infrastructure risks than is currently available in the UK.”
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