The 2023 International Trenchless Technology Conference was successfully held from April 19 to 21, 2023 at Suzhou International Expo Centre, Jiangsu Province. 4,190 professional visitors from 14 countries and regions and 31 provinces, cities and autonomous regions across China registered to visit the exhibition. 9,079 people were present during the three-day session, and 169 people registered to attend the seminar. Chairman Keh-Jian Shou of the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT), Chinese Taipei Society for Trenchless Technology (CTSTT); Professor Yan Chunwen, Vice Chairman of China Society of Geology - Trenchless Technology Committee (CSTT); Director Yu Qinghai of Alumni and Social Cooperation Office of China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Party Secretary of College of Engineering and Technology; Secretary General Hu Yuanbiao of China Society of Geology - Trenchless Technology Committee (CSTT), and conference’s platinum sponsor, President Jiang Zhiguang of Jiangsu Dilong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. attended the opening ceremony.
To launch this year's conference, Chairman Keh-Jian Shou of the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT), Chinese Taipei Society for Trenchless Technology (CTSTT); Professor Yan Chunwen, Vice Chairman of China Society of Geology - Trenchless Technology Committee (CSTT); and Chairman Professor Jens Hoelterhoff of Germany Society for Trenchless Technology (GSTT) (online speech " delivered opening speeches. A series of keynote speeches followed afterward: Professor Yan Chunwen, Vice Chairman of CSTT made a speech in the theme of “Review of Recent Trenchless Industry Developments. Chairman Keh-Jian Shou of ISTT and CTSTT made a speech on the theme of “Study of mechanical properties of underground pipes rehabilitated via CIPP. Vice Chairman of JSTT, Professor Hideki Shimada of Kyushu University and his student Ma Peng made a collaborative online speech on the theme of “Soil behavior caused by rectangular pipe jacking”. President Jiang Zhiguang of Jiangsu Dilong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. made a speech on “The innovation achievements of Dilong Heavy Machinery”, Yu Pianhong. Deputy Chief Engineer/Senior Engineer, Shanghai Urban Construction Design and Research Institute, Environment and Transportation Institute made a speech on the theme of “Design key points of drainage pipe trenchless rehabilitation project”. The distinguished speakers, rich keynote speeches and real-time connected Q&A interactions aroused great interest among the delegates.
The annual conference set up three thematic sessions: "Pipeline Rehabilitation Theme Report", "Pipe Jacking Technology Theme Report" and "Horizontal Directional Drilling Theme Report", in which the latest technology and typical construction cases in various fields of trenchless technology were exchanged and discussed. China University of Geosciences (Beijing), China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Chengdu University of Technology Southeast University, Zhejiang University City College, TianJin Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute, Chengdu Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute, Anhui Tangxing Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., XCMG Foundation Construction Machinery Business Division, Waterverse Technology Co., Ltd., Tianjin Yitong Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., Beijing Longkexing Trenchless Engineering Co., Ltd., Shanghai Weimai Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Huashi Pipeline Technology Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Jie Antong Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Gas Huanneng Engineering & Technologies Co., Ltd., Poclain Hydraulics China, Tai'an Daifeng Pipeline Engineering Co., Ltd., Guizhou Xineng Kaida Crossing Engineering Co., Ltd., Huangshi Jingwu Ceiling Coil Project Co., Ltd., Beijing Yingzhidun Municipal Engineering Co., Ltd., China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Communications Construction Underground Engineering Co.,Ltd., Shanghai Guanli Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., and many more scientific research institutes and well-known enterprises made full promotion and sharing on their own advantageous technology, products and construction experience.
With an exhibition area of 20,000 square meters, the organizing committee selected 123 companies in the industry to exhibit their latest products and technologies on-site. Among them, 27 companies exhibited for the first time, accounting for 21.95% of the overall exhibitors. 95% of the exhibitors brought dozens of physical products to the exhibition, with all the raw exhibition space specially decorated, and all exhibits sold out. The equipment in this exhibition further improved in performance, quality and appearance, and showed the latest development trend and innovative technology of trenchless technology in new pipeline construction and old pipeline rehabilitation in municipal, petroleum, electric power, communication, gas and other fields.
The International Trenchless Technology Conference is presenting the vigorous vitality and development potential of China's trenchless industry with a scale that exceeds expectations and a wealth of cutting-edge technologies. With the end of the epidemic, China's economy is on the road to recovery first in the world. The feedback from exhibitors and visitors reflects the growing demand for trenchless technology in China's national economic development. The active participation of foreign experts and presenters shows the concern of international counterparts for the continued expansion of China's trenchless market. Driven by favorable domestic policies, the sustainability improvement of wastewater treatment plants nationwide has been carried out in parallel with the quality and efficiency improvement of pipeline networks and rehabilitation. Facing the huge market of maintenance and rehabilitation of urban pipeline networks, municipal enterprises or emerging companies have joined the trenchless industry, and the number of exhibitors in the pipeline inspection and rehabilitation category has surged.
ITTC 2023 Conference also hosted the "Tang Xing Night - ITTC Reception Gala Dinner and CSTT Annual Awards Ceremony". On behalf of ISTT, Chairman Keh-Jian Shou of the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) presented the ISTT2022 Newest Technology Award to President Jiang Zhiguang of Jiangsu Dilong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd., the award was won by a Chinese company for the first time. The ITTC Organizing Committee also awarded ITTC quality exhibitors’ certificates to 9 new 15-year exhibitors, 2 new 10-year exhibitors and 14 new 5-year exhibitors. In addition, CSTT presented honorary certificates and trophies to Mr. Tang Suwen, the "China Trenchless Person of the Year 2021" and Mr. Wang Hongpeng, the "China Trenchless Person of the Year 2022", respectively. CSTT also presented the "China Trenchless 2021 Outstanding Technology, Product and Engineering Award" and "China Trenchless 2022 Outstanding Technology, Product and Engineering Award" to the companies including Anhui Tangxing Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., XCMG Foundation Construction Machinery Business Division, Drillto Trenchless Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Goodeng Heavy Machinery Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Huashi Pipeline Technology Co., Ltd. Jingke Power Technology Co., Ltd.# Asoe Hose Manufacturing Inc., Qingdao Shitong Construction Engineering Co., Ltd., Huayuan Innovative Development (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd.
The conference continued with a new product launch. Seven companies including Anhui Tangxing Equipment Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Sany Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., Drillto Trenchless Co., Ltd., Vermeer Tianjin Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Dilong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd., XCMG Foundation Construction Machinery Business Division, Anhui Zhuoke Intelligence equipment Co., Ltd. presented the release of latest products and technologies, so that everyone can better understand the good performance and features of the products, and received numerous praise.
A total of 82,829 people viewed, visited, and downloaded photos from the cloud album on the live photo streaming platform of the conference. From the start of the preparatory work in March 2021, the organizing committee sent invitations to 1,988 industry peers abroad to attend the conference, and released the progress of the event to 2,027 foreign peers who have long been concerned about the Chinese market in mid-December 2021 and December 2022; the organizing committee also sent 15,233 domestic professional visitors from the end of December 2021 to one week before the start of the event in April 2023 The organizing committee also sends peer-to-peer SMS invitations to 15,233 domestic professional visitors from the end of December 2021 to the week before the event starts in April 2023; continuously promotion on the CSTT WeChat official account for 100 days before the event date; and for the first time, adopts on-site real-name identification and face recognition technologies as the standard mode for all exhibitors and visitors to enter the exhibition hall to enhance the quality of professional visitors.
Before the conference, the China Society of Geology - Trenchless Technology Committee (CSTT) held a working meeting of the council and expert group at Suzhou International Expo Center, where the council members and experts listened to the 2021 and 2022 work report summaries and the work plan report in 2023 delivered by CSTT Secretary General Hu Yuanbiao.
