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

  • Construction adapting with Machine control Technologies
    June 18, 2015
    Machine control technologies are revolutionising construction – Dan Gilkes writes Electronic control of engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems, primarily to reduce exhaust emissions and boost productivity, is also providing manufacturers with an opportunity to incorporate increasingly complex machine control into their equipment. This in turn has the potential to make the machinery more productive, further cutting fuel consumption as part of a virtuous operational circle.
  • Machine control advances boosting quality
    June 12, 2017
    The latest developments in machine control technology will deliver major gains in quality and productivity. Machine control technology plays an increasingly important role in construction. The pace of development has been fast, with new systems offering major gains in both productivity and quality across a range of applications. At the recent CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 exhibition in Las Vegas, key advances were unveiled in machine control technologies suited to markets such as earthmoving, concrete paving and pil
  • Norway’s record breaking undersea road tunnel
    February 25, 2015
    The world's deepest road tunnel is currently in construction near Stavanger in Norway but is only the prelude to even larger projects - report and photographs by Adrian Greeman. Norway's convoluted coastline of fjords and high mountains is famously scenic but also a major problem for transport and connections. The country has long experience of constructing tunnels as a result. Now a series of tunnels underway, or in design, around the oil industry city of Stavanger will stretch its skills more than usual.
  • Sophisticated new asphalt compactors now coming to market
    March 4, 2015
    Emissions legislation is one factor driving the introduction of new compaction machines for Europe and North America, while customers in other markets are also benefiting from new technology - Mike Woof writes. The phased introduction of new exhaust emissions requirements for construction equipment being used in Europe and North America have had a major impact on new model development. In the asphalt compactor segment, manufacturers have had to redesign machines to pack in the latest emissions control techn