Skip to main content

Kemroc’s chain technology cuts trenches faster

Attachment specialist Kemroc has brought two new cutting systems to Intermat for the first time: its EK range for cutting trenches - and a new system within its Cut & Break (C&B) range which can be used for demolition of civil structures or for rock extraction. “This is the first time we have exhibited the chain cutter in France,” says Klaus Ertmer, Kemroc managing director and the inventor of all the attachments. “Because the cutting head has a chain in the middle, it means that you can dig very small, d
April 23, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
Attachment specialist 8755 Kemroc has brought two new cutting systems to Intermat for the first time: its EK range for cutting trenches - and a new system within its Cut & Break (C&B) range which can be used for demolition of civil structures or for rock extraction.


“This is the first time we have exhibited the chain cutter in France,” says Klaus Ertmer, Kemroc managing director and the inventor of all the attachments. “Because the cutting head has a chain in the middle, it means that you can dig very small, deep trenches with the machine.”

Emroc developed the machine in response to feedback from customers, says Ertmer. Standard cutter attachments have cutting wheels at either edge, and must be moved from one side to another to dig the trench, whereas with the EK tools, a straight cut is possible.  This requires less skill from the excavator or backhoe operator and also speeds up the process.

Ertmer started developing the EK range in 2012, perfecting the chain technology – which has been patented - in the Middle East. “It took us a long time to make the chain reliable,” says Ertmer. “It wasn’t easy.” To date, Kemroc has sold around 60 EK attachments, says Ertmer, largely in the Middle East but also in Europe too.

Visitors to Ertrmer’s stand, which is adjacent to that of its French dealer, Witek, can also see the combination of a slim DMW cutter wheel with its new C&B breaker tool. This system could be used to demolish reinforced concrete structures or for rock extraction.

The DMW wheel is first used to cut slots in the concrete or rock, with the spacing and depth dependent on the material being cut. The wedge-shaped breaker with picks at either side of its tip is then pushed into the grooves to force the concrete or rock apart.

“It makes a good alternative where drill and blast is not possible, due to restrictions on noise or vibration,” says Ertmer. “It can be used for breaking soft or medium-hardness rock.”

Though Ertner designed his first cutting tool attachment in 2000, Kemroc has only been in existence for just over a year - since Atlas Copco acquired Ertmer’s firm Erkat which supplies traditional trenching tools, without the central chain technology. Kemroc supplies markets around the world, says Ertner, including its home country of Germany, Switzerland, North Africa, Japan and the US.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • OEMs take a walk down to Electric Avenue
    April 27, 2018
    Where the diesel engine was once the simple solution for OEMs wanting a power source, recent emissions regulations have added such cost and complexity to the diesel-fuelled internal combustion engine that there are now other simpler, solutions on the horizon. That’s the message from Julie Furber, executive director of Cummins electrified power business, who believes that electrification will be the new, simple power solution. “As a provider of power sources, Cummins is in a position to give its customers an
  • XCMG expanding range and developing products
    January 5, 2016
    The firm is steadily moving up the size scale with its machines, introducing heavy equipment aimed at the extraction industries, in addition to new and more versatile machines for construction users and road machinery. The firm is working hard to develop new large excavators and trucks to meet demand from the extraction industries. The large excavators and rigid trucks are now a key part of the product range as XCMG wants to increase its profile in the extraction sector. The company has also struck an a
  • Roadtec’s additive system for cold-in-place recycling
    November 6, 2017
    Roadtec’s innovative CIR Additive System can be used in the cold-in-place recycling of asphalt pavement. This is a useful technique for the repair and rehabilitation of asphalt-paved roads. The system is used to transfer, measure, and inject either emulsion or foamed asphalt to the cutter housing of the milling machine. The additive is then blended with the milled material and transferred for paving. Roadtec says that its cold-in-place recycling (CIR) equipment makes it possible to repair damage to a
  • Chinese firms unveiled earthmoving innovation at BICES 2015
    January 15, 2016
    Chinese firms LiuGong, Shantui, Sunward and XCMG revealed innovative earthmoving concepts at BICES 2015 – Mike Woof writes. Of the many new machines seen at the recent BICES 2015 construction equipment exhibition in Beijing, a number of firms were notable for their innovations. LiuGong, Shantui, Sunward and XCMG all offered particular developments in earthmoving technology that stood out from the array of more conventional equipment. All of these firms also showed more standard machines, as did other rivals