Alois Portmann, the inventor of Brextor (pile head milling machine) was approached about the problem of pile head processing. No satisfying solution was available on the market worldwide. Without further ado, Brextor was developed. Today BRC consists of three companies divided according to their core competences. BRC Engineering AG (one of the three companies) is responsible for the development, marketing, production and international sales of Brextor. The other two companies take care of the sales & maintenance of Brextor in Switzerland as well as the pile head processing in the Swiss market.
Interview with Roland Pfister, Head of International Sales at BRC Engineering AG.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Roland Pfister: The company’s areas of activity are divided according to the following core competencies:
- International sales and production of Brextor
- Sales and maintenance Switzerland
- Active application as subcontractor in Switzerland
- Brextor is manufactured in Switzerland and patented worldwide.
Wherever pile foundations are used for construction, Brextor can be used for pile head processing. Pile heads are gently and efficiently milled to the required height. The actual concrete removal is only one part of the profitability. Brextor adds a lot of value in pre and post work steps and is a game changer on construction sites.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
R.P: Unlike other mining methods, which use uncontrollable impacting or pressing energy, Brextor works with horizontal force. The horizontal force application can be 100% controlled at all times. With our patented milling process, the core and surface tension get broken at the same time. As a result, no cracks or spalling occur, which can endanger the structure in the long term.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
R.P: Brextor has a modular design. With different components, all common pile sizes from 450 mm to 2000 mm can be processed. In contrast to other methods, Brextor can also be used to work on overcut, tangential or secant bored pile walls.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
R.P: The market is growing fast. More and larger and higher buildings are being built in exposed locations, such as on the water or on sand.
The most important thing for these buildings is a strong and qualitatively impeccable foundation. The concrete pile is often best suited to perform this demanding task. These concrete piles need to be machined. Brextor is best suited to perform this demanding task. Currently we are mainly active in Switzerland. Applications in Europe are growing rapidly and we are proactively pursuing them.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
R.P: Sustainability is a very big topic! We can proudly say that with Brextor we can contribute an extremely large amount to sustainability in the construction industry.
A small example is the demolition material of the pile heads. When working with Brextor, 80% of the material is already processed into gravel 0-30mm. Depending on the regulations, this material can be integrated into the clean layer. This means less transportation, landfill fees or even less replacement material is needed.
In this way, a great contribution is made to social (environment and society) and economic needs for sustainability in the construction industry.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
R.P: Last year, we made minor adjustments, for example to the material flow. These were additionally patented. We have also optimized handling when changing consumables.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?
R.P: In 2022, we celebrated our first successes and opened a Brextor Competence Center in the UK with our partner P. Flannery Plant Hire Ltd. We are pushing ahead with our internationalization plans and want to open another Brextor Competence Center.