Aquaforce Concrete Services – WJA Member Spotlight
What services do you supply as a water jetting contractor?
We are high and ultra-high water jetting contractors, and specialise in concrete hydrodemolition and surface preparation. We are part of the Soletanche Freyssinet Group, which is, in turn, part of Vinci PLC, one of Europe’s leading construction & civil engineering companies.
Alongside our work for Freyssinet Ltd, We also work for other major engineering and construction specialists delivering services that include:
- Robotic hydrodemolition
- Hand-lance hydrodemolition
- Concrete scabbling
- Coatings removal
- Soffit removal
- Bridge bearing removal
- Bulk parapet removal
We also carry out concrete coring services and offer water supply and waste process water management services to our Clients.
We operate a fleet of modern, Euro 6 compliant LGV tankers, we are a licensed waste carrier and are also FORS accredited.
What are the three most important elements of service delivery and why?
Safety, professionalism and reliability –
We work to the highest standards of Health & Safety, as expected of us by the Water Jetting Association, and also set by our parent company, Freyssinet Ltd, from the smallest to biggest aspects of what we do.
For example, our visors are tested and certified to EN166B. All our vehicles which exceed 3.5T Gross Train Weight are fitted with tachographs, with operators who are fully-licensed and trained to operate them as required by law.
We provide all our operators with the best PPE available on the market and believe that, in terms of safe practices, we go over above that which is required by statutory regulations.
In terms of professionalism, I’ve spent many years on the other side of the table as a Contracts Manager commissioning jetting services, so I know what’s important to a Client. All our teams are ready to go, with the correct equipment, required capabilities and the right attitude to solve any issues safely and efficiently.
We pride ourselves on a strong delivery team that our customers know will deliver reliable and consistent service. The team understands what we expect as a business, and what our customers expect, from service delivery to how to behave on site.
What have been your business highlights for the last 12 months?
2024 was a very good year for Aquaforce, commercially, with record turnover and strong profitability, 2025 is looking promising as well.
We’ve also been working on improving our capability as a business, We now have the ability to undertake the majority of our equipment servicing and repair in-house. This contributes to the reliability and consistency of our service.
During 2024, we have invested heavily in a modern fleet of water supply and waste water tankers.
The ability to manage the supply and controlled removal of waste water from our operations is a big plus for many of our clients who want to be sure our operations comply with their environmental standards and all applicable regulations.
It also means we’re in full control of our operation and all technical issues, in terms of cost control, compliance and reputation.
In Q3 of 2024, we achieved FORS accreditation, which gives clients assurance that we set high standards in terms of HGV road safety and fleet management standards.
Tell us something amazing about water jetting
Perhaps it’s not that amazing, but the question we’re still often asked is, will water jetting damage the rebar in concrete structures? Our clients are always surprised and impressed when we tell them it has no effect upon the embedded steel other than to clean it and remove any scale, making it ready for the re-instatement of replacement material.
Biggest changes in technology
The pumps we use have become more and more sophisticated, not least to comply with emissions standards. This can make them more complicated to maintain, similar to modern road vehicles.
We’ve also taken the environmental step and installed hydrogen cells in our pump units. This injects hydrogen into the fuel line, making it burn more efficiently, which in turn, lowers harmful emissions and also improves fuel efficiency.
Biggest challenge of the next 10 years
Health and safety is likely to be the biggest focus, especially as new equipment and jetting techniques are developed. It’s also why the continued work of the WJA to update standards and respond in a timely way to technological change is so important.
Robotic water jetting is going to become more common. But there is a long way to go before it can replace hand lance jetting, if it ever will. We do use robotic equipment but a lot of our projects involve working on small patches of concrete, often in hard-to-reach areas. At the moment, there are no robotic systems that can be deployed to do these jobs.
What are you most proud of about how your team delivers your service?
I’m most proud of the professionalism of our teams and the health and safety standards they work to. It’s against the law to try to undermine controls to protect people doing safety-critical work, and that’s something our workforce is very aware of. However, there is no room for complacency. Safe working underpins everything we do.
Why did you join the WJA?
Commercial imperative was the primary reason. A lot of our clients have membership of the WJA in their specifications. We also want to be part of a professional association that oversees our industry. We want to contribute to the future of our industry, and the WJA is playing a pivotal role in setting its direction and its development.
What do you think has been the WJA’s biggest achievement, so far?
I would say, raising awareness about the critical issues shaping our industry, most importantly health, safety and wellbeing, and setting standards. The codes of practice and training are central to this.