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

  • High reach excavator safety training launched
    April 13, 2012
    New demolition tolls are coming to market while safety training for high reach excavator operators has been established With the Intermat equipment exhibition due shortly, various manufacturers are offering new demolition tools to the market. Meanwhile the UK's National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) is now setting a lead in the sector by offering a high reach excavator training course. The NFDC has partnered with the National Demolition Training Group (NDTG) to develop the world's first train
  • Challenging bridge demolition
    March 2, 2012
    DEMOLITION and blasting experts Philipp Halter of Berlin, Germany, faced a challenging job: in just 48 hours it had to demolish the southern section of the Spandau Dam Bridge crossing the A 100. The efficient interaction of Atlas Copco hydraulic breakers and hydraulic CombiCutters, mounted on seven Volvo excavators, is said to have played a crucial role after following a carefully planned schedule. During Friday night a bed of sand was placed under the bridge to allow the girders and reinforcements torn dow
  • Innovations in concrete paving technology
    March 16, 2012
    Paving with concrete offers a strong and long life base for a roadway, with manufacturers continuing to develop technologies – Mike Woof reports. Innovation comes fast in the concrete paving market with a number of specialist suppliers offering an array of solutions to meet the needs of slipforming contractors. These machines can be used for a range of applications from large-scale airport runway or highway construction duties, tunnel jobs, bridge decks, barriers, traffic islands and kerbs. Because the app
  • Digging It gets down with Hyundai fleet
    October 3, 2018
    Ben Boare is the founder and managing director of Digging It Groundworks – a multifaceted construction company based in Andover in southern England. Boare formed Digging in 2007. “We initially started out doing small groundworks jobs, but as the years pass by we are focusing more and more on the plant hire side of things and our crushing, screening and recycling operation,” he said. The company has historically run a mixed fleet of hydraulic excavators, including JCB, Volvo, Takeuchi and Kubota. But in re