The trenchless industry in Australia continues to grow and the need to provide customised solutions becomes vital for a leading subsurface contractor.

Recognising the need for advanced solutions to meet the growing demands of modern infrastructure projects, Bothar Boring has led the way in the innovation department with its vast fleet of in-house designed and fabricated ‘Bothar Built’ equipment.

Now, the company is breaking new ground with its latest specialist-built cutting head.

Bothar has an exceptional team of industry leading experts and equipment manufacturing specialists that turn ideas and concepts into cutting-edge solutions to overcome limitations of conventional methods.

In recent times, Bothar has experienced an increase in requests for installations where there is an inability to provide a retrieval shaft.

Bothar refers to this practice as ‘blind boring’ and it had been an obstacle on the company’s radar for some time.

When the company was approached for advice on providing a suitable method to install 19 x 102m canopy tubes under a live railway without the ability to use a retrieval shaft, the team was confident they could deliver.

There are limited trenchless methods which could deliver accuracy over such lengths.

As such, Bothar embarked on a mission to develop an innovative solution to directly install the required 500mm steel case, in rock up to 60Mpa without an exit shaft, with pinpoint accuracy, while ensuring the ground was always supported.

The result was a custom designed specialised bi-directional retractable cutting head which hadn’t been utilised on this size of installation.

Using Bothar’s in-house design and fabrication facilities, the cutting head was designed, built, and tested within a matter of weeks.

The experimental cutting head was deployed to site and proved to be extremely effective.

The tight program constraints meant that Bothar had to install two canopy tubes at a time, adding additional complexity to the delivery.

Bothar successfully completed the canopy tube installation and was able to accelerate the pace of the project with its bespoke cutting head.

The unique cutting head consists of three 13 ¾-inch and three 9-inch tri-cone type TCI cutters on a 50mm backing plate with water portability and outer cutters spring loaded on a 40mm greaseable solid bar hinge.

A laser guided vacuum system was used to achieve tight design tolerances at significant lengths.

The modified head was developed to ensure the tunnel is always supported by the installation of steel casing in the unlikely but possible case of ground movement.

The cutting head has since been used successfully on several projects in adverse, mixed ground conditions up to 200Mpa.

Furthermore, tackling other obstacles such as ‘blind boring’ into service manholes is now no problem with the use of this cutting head, changing the landscape of underground construction.

Bothar’s ability to utilise its vast trenchless experience to innovate such a design is backed by its inhouse workshop facility.

This gives Bothar Boring an additional advantage in the ever-evolving trenchless arena for future works.

We are pleased to announce that funds managed by OCP Asia have become the controlling shareholder of Bothar Group Pty Ltd’s Australian and Canadian operations (“Bothar”) following our successful restructure.

Bothar has emerged from this organised restructuring process as a strong, stable business, primed for growth. To support this momentum, the company has appointed Shane Kimpton as Group Chief Executive Officer and Stephen Kemp as Group Chief Financial Officer.

Shane Kimpton brings to the company extensive leadership experience in the construction and engineering industries across Australia, Canada, and the Middle East. Stephen Kemp brings a track record of successfully leading organisational change and supporting business turnarounds across a range of industries including engineering services and contracting.

Matthew Hunter, Chairman of Bothar and OCP Asia advisor, commented: “Bothar has a first-class reputation in sub-surface tunnel construction internationally, with a highly experienced and committed workforce, and now with a substantial and well capitalised shareholder. OCP Asia is a leading pan Asian investor in mid cap companies with a proven track record across the Asia Pacific region and a longstanding presence in the Australian market.

“Bothar’s balance sheet will be significantly strengthened by the support from OCP Asia, enabling it to capitalise on the major Australian infrastructure investments we are seeing in the market. This unprecedented expenditure on public infrastructure provides the Bothar business with an ideal platform for growth,” Mr Hunter said.

Shane Kimpton, Group Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Through the transition to OCP Asia, I am pleased to advise that we have retained the significant Bothar experience gained over the last 30 years and added experienced leadership. I welcome OCP Asia as the controlling shareholder of Bothar and look forward to working with them to execute a strategy to re-establish Bothar as the leader in its chosen markets and growth beyond that.

“Throughout this process, the dedicated Bothar team has remained focused on our clients and is continuing to deliver complex projects. Bothar remains committed to caring for our people, protecting the environment, and enhancing value for our clients,” Mr Kimpton said.

About Bothar
Bothar is an international leader in the provision of engineering solutions for complex subsurface infrastructure. The Company provides microtunnelling, traditional tunnelling (pipe jacking), as well as shaft construction, direct pipe installation and auger boring utilising a portfolio of specialist equipment. Bothar is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia with regional offices in Australia and North America.

About OCP Asia
OCP Asia is an established investment manager with a proven track record of providing customised secured lending solutions for small and medium sized enterprises across the Asia Pacific region. Since its inception in 2009, OCP Asia has completed over US$5 billion of investments throughout Asia Pacific.

Bothar is positioned for growth, with a strong balance sheet and valuable additions to the executive team.