KRE Engineering Services has been manufacturing robotic equipment for over 30 years. Keith Edmunds started the company in 1990, incorporating the business soon after in 1991.
At that time, Edmunds was struck by the lack of reliable equipment overseas. The industry was still in its infancy when he decided he would manufacture his own equipment to cater for the evolving Australian trenchless scene.
KRE produces reliable robotic equipment combined with clear imaging to perform vital robotic repairs in pipelines. Rehabilitation and lateral reinstatement through robotic equipment eliminates the need to dig up surfaces, making KRE’s inventions critical to trenchless solutions.
Through research, product development, and close working relationships with contractors and partners, KRE has been able to evolve and adapt its service offerings to meet the advancing needs of the market.
KRE’s range is used in a variety of trenchless applications. Services include but are not limited to: CCTV inspection and high-pressure cleaning for pipes, robotic repair and reinstatement of laterals, and internal pipeline repair.
Edmunds and his team have rubbed shoulders with many of Australia’s trenchless industry leaders over the decades, like Interflow’s Geoff Weaver and Abergeldie’s Matthew Boyle, to name a few. KRE products have been and still are regularly used by industry giants Interflow, Abergeldie Watertech (formerly Kembla Watertech), Insituform as well as PMA (Formerly IC Pipes) and M. Tucker & Sons.
The world caught wind of KRE’s innovations, and now the Australian-made products have been picked up by overseas suppliers in Germany and North America. In 2020, CUES began manufacturing and selling KRE’s self-driving robotic equipment to enhance its skid mounted robotics that KRE designed some 28 years ago.
CUES is the world’s leading manufacturer of water, wastewater and stormwater inspection equipment. This is a testament to the design and development of KRE’s products for the global market.
KRE was also the first company in Australia to exhibit and supply WinCan – a specialist sewer inspection and asset management software solution that has now become an industry staple.
Edmunds enjoys problem-solving and creating new solutions for every client’s projects. The company’s goal is to deliver cost effective and practical solutions that are intuitive to use.
Edmunds and the team design equipment so it can be easily repaired out in the field. All equipment is modular and interchangeable, to save the contractor downtime on projects.
“We pride ourselves on working closely with our customers and their operators, enabling us to develop and produce products to suit market requirements,” Edmunds says.
Over the years, KRE has assisted in a number of major projects. In 1993, KRE worked with Curtin University, Perth, with a robotic solution to hold explosive charges and measuring equipment for seismic surveys.
In 1998, the company helped on a Marconi, EPROS combined project, KRE supplying the robotics for laying fibreoptic cables in sewers, taking the fibre from the main to the consumer. That same year, KRE also supplied the majority of robotic equipment on the Singapore deep sewer project.
In 2016, the company aided Imatech with a 500 m camera and laser measurement system, for pipes from 75 mm to 225 mm for the purpose of analysing ceramic wear coatings and determining the lifespan of their specific pipes.
Currently, KRE is investing in research and development for its core product range – its robotic lateral cutters – which range from 150 mm to 1200 mm. The team is designing and trialling new technology in robotic machines for potable water pipes ranging from 75 mm to 225 mm.
KRE’s work doesn’t stop there: the company is also developing a new micro-cutter to cater for the domestic plumbing market. The company is excited to be working with new and upcoming contractors and partners, expanding its customer base and creating new opportunities to create solutions for now and into future for our unique and ever evolving trenchless industry here in Australasia.
For more information visit the KRE website.