Tesmec Australia is delivering bespoke, highly efficient trenching machines to some of Australia’s most important pipeline projects.
If you ask Tesmec Australia General Manager Adrien Merceron the thing he loves most about his job, he’ll tell you it’s the variety.
Whether it’s a cold call about a project in the middle of nowhere, finding the best trenching machine for a given job, monitoring the performance of machines out in the field, or answering a raft of geotechnical questions, it’s all part of the day-to-day for Merceron.
Such is the reality when working for a highly specialised company like Tesmec, which provides some of the most competitive, technologically advanced, and dialled-in trenching machines in the global market.
“In this job, it’s rarely the same kind of project with the same kind of machine,” he told The Australian Pipeliner.
“One of the best parts is working with a wide range of people. When we work with smaller companies, it’s like a dream come true when their new trenching machine arrives.
“It makes me so happy to see their reaction, like purchasing a new car. They’re very, very happy.
“And on the opposite end, it’s always exciting to deal with larger corporations on major pipeline projects, where we need to be hands-on from the beginning through early contractor involvement.”
It’s precisely this specialist approach that has allowed Tesmec to explode in popularity all over the globe, and 2025 has been no exception.
“Around the world and in Australia, we have definitely been quite busy, especially in the water industry,” Merceron said.
“Day-to-day around the country, we’re doing 20–50km pipelines, but we have some very large projects coming up next year in Queensland and South Australia.
“We’ve recently sold a few machines in Africa for big water pipeline projects, and we remain very busy in the Middle East doing a lot of oil and gas projects with the Saudi Arabian Oil Company. “
Innovation at the core
Key to Tesmec’s success, Merceron said, is its unending drive to innovate. At the heart of these innovations is Tesmec’s TrenchTronic 5.0, a sophisticated electronic control system that automates trenching operations.
By optimising depth control and trajectory management, TrenchTronic 5.0 boosts productivity, reducing the need for manual intervention and minimising errors.
Complementing TrenchTronic 5.0 is TrenchIntel, a 3D-GPS automatic guidance system based on Topcon’s Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) technology.
TrenchIntel ensures trenching accuracy by automatically maintaining the correct running line, depth, and grade according to project specifications. Tesmec is confident this system outperforms traditional methods like laser systems, stakes, and string lines, by saving time and money from preventing undercuts, overcuts, and incorrect excavations.
“TrenchIntel really makes trenching a lot easier, increasing productivity and reducing costs,” Merceron said.
The company has also been leveraging artificial intelligence for condition monitoring, automatic reporting, and preventative maintenance on its trenchers. Monitoring this data – which is also sent to clients – is one of Merceron and his technical team’s role.
“In one recent example, we had a machine operating in the middle of nowhere and we noticed in the data that the engine and return system of this machine weren’t operating as normal,” he said. “So we reached out to the client and were able to determine that the air filter wasn’t correctly engaged after it had been removed for cleaning.
This way, we were able to easily avoid what might resulted in significant damage to the machine.”
In addition to preventing damage to the machine, Tesmec predictive maintenance technology also helps increase up-time.
In Merceron’s view, what makes Tesmec special is its blend of global engineering pedigree and local adaptability. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution in trenching; instead, Tesmec collaborates with clients early, works out what the rock conditions will be, what the environmental extremes are, what budgets allow, and then proposes or adapts machines accordingly.
Trust and honesty are core pillars of this approach.
“It’s important to be honest about what our machines can and can’t do, and about the rate at which they work. Sometimes drill and blast will be the only option, while other times, our trenchers will get the job done,” he said.
“In my view, it’s always better to over-deliver than to over-promise.”
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