Installation of pipes and ducts under natural or artificial obstacles
HDI Main Figures
- 2000Holes drilled
- 2,000,000Metres installed
- 40Countries
Our History Over 30 years of activity
Horizontal Drilling International, commonly known as HDI, is a construction company established in 1984. It is specialized in the installation of pipelines under natural or artificial obstacles thanks to “trenchless” methods, and more specifically Horizontal Directional Drilling methods which gave the name HDI to the company.
HDI has left its mark in the Horizontal Directional Drilling technique since the beginning by completing two crossings of more than 1000 meters in Bangladesh during its first year of activity. In the same year, the company installed the first two steel pipes of DN 1050 (42”) using this method.
Our engineering is constantly evolving. Our ability to adapt to all kinds of projects contribute to our company’s reputation. The skills possessed by our team members as well as the reliability of our equipment fleet allow us to push the limits of the installation of pipes and ducts under natural or artificial obstacles while respecting the environment.
Milestones A continuous innovation
From its early age, HDI has never stopped innovating to meet increasingly complex technical challenges:
- First landfall using Horizontal Directional Drilling (Esso – Bass Strait, Australia – 1987)
- First High Voltage Electrical Lines by Horizontal Directional Drilling (EDF – Garonne et Seine Rivers, France – 1989)
- First Horizontal Directional Drilling through Rock (SNAM – Sicily, Italy and TPC – Niagara, USA – 1991)
- First DN 1200 (48’’) pipeline installed by Horizontal Directional Drilling (Gasunie – Canal Noord Holland, Netherlands – 1991)
- First Horizontal Directional Drilling through Permafrost (ARCO – Colville River, Alaska, USA – 1998 & 1999) for which HDI was nominated by the American Civil Engineering Association.
- First 100% upward Horizontal Directional Drilling (Gasocidente do Mato Grosso – Cachoeirinha Peak, Brazil – 2000)
- Setting a World Record for the largest volume – 1760 m x DN 1200 (48’’) – installed by Horizontal Directional Drilling (Reliance – Vashista Godavari River, India – 2007)
Geographical expansion References in more than 40 countries
Over the years, a remarkable geographical expansion has been added to these initial technical achievements :
Bangladesh (1985), Denmark and China (1986), Sweden (1987), India and Spain (1987), Great Britain and Netherlands (1988), Germany (1988), Venezuela and South Africa (1989), Belgium (1990), Brazil (1991), Portugal (1994), Russia (1996), Romania (1998), Tunisia (1999), Kazakhstan and Côte d’Ivoire (2001), Algeria (2003), Tanzania and Georgia (2004), Turkey (2007), Morocco (2010), Papua New Guinea (2012), etc.
certifications and professional affiliations Certified according to the highest standards
All the experience accumulated throughout the years have enabled HDI to refine its organisation, its working methods, and its procedures to meet the highest standards. The company is certified ISO 9001 since 2008, ISO 14001 since 2008, and OHSAS since 2007.
It is also affiliated with the DCA- Europe, which stands for Drilling Contractors Association, the FSTT (French Association for Trenchless Technologies) and the IPLOCA, which stands for International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association.
All the men and women who constitute HDI today, rely on a rich and varied collective knowledge base to continue innovating and pushing the limits of their professions to support their clients in the best way possible with “Expertise – Reliability – Responsiveness” as their motto.
