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Member Info 02/2026
Results of the Members' Meeting - Dates 2026/27 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

we would like to provide you with some information about the results of the members' meeting held in Wardenburg near Oldenburg at the beginning of February and also inform you about important events in the 2026 financial year. The members' meeting, which was held as a hybrid event, was very well attended, with around 70 of 207 member companies (160 participants) taking part. The presentation on the members' meeting and Mathias Drücker's lecture are available for download in the members' area. The minutes of the event will be sent to you in March.

We wish you a good start to the new financial year and successful cooperation in line with our association's goals.

Kind regards  
Your DCA team

Results of the Members' Meeting - 2026

Honours for Membership

25 years of DCA membership:

The following companies were honoured:
  • Bohrtec-Teubner Wittenberg GmbH
  • Prime Drilling GmbH
  • Phrikolat Drilling Specialties GmbH
Congratulations from the DCA!

Women empowering HDD - update
As part of the activities of the Women Empowering HDD (WE-HDD) group, monthly meetings and networking events are held. The main events are the DCA Spring Talks in Aachen and the ‘Get together’ at the annual congress in October.

The group publishes articles on the DCA website, DCA LinkedIn and Drill for Europe, among others. It collaborates with Women in Pipe, PTC, Global Women Forum and others. FOREXI and the Veenker Foundation are sponsoring the WE-HDD group in 2026 and the 2nd DCA Spring Talks in Aachen (28 May 2026).
Current status of work in the task groups

Task group 3:          Technical Guidelines

                                Head: Marc Schnau, x-plan schnau engineering GmbH & Co. KG

The editorially revised German edition of the Technical Guidelines was published in August 2025. The Technical Guidelines will be available in future from an online shop on the DCA website. Company licences are available.

Task group 4:           Data Acquisition and Logging

                                 Head: Simon Herrenknecht,
                                 represented by Scott Stone, Michels Trenchless GmbH

The aim of the task group is to define uniform data sets and formats that provide all parties involved with the information relevant to the drilling process in a structured overview. The work has now been divided into subgroups that deal with different areas of interest. The group meetings will resume in February/March.

Task group 5:            Subsoil (DCA/GSTT)

                                  Head: Philipp Dick, x-plan schnau engineering GmbH & Co. KG

The task group is a collaboration between the DCA and the Bundesverband Grabenlos (formerly RSV and GSTT). The focus is on the HDD method, followed by a transfer from the pipe jacking method. There is currently no exchange with the Bundesverband Grabenlos. The task group is scheduled to be completed in 2026, when the results will be presented.

Task group 6:            Drill for Europe (Landing Page)

Thijs Jansen from Vandenberg presents information about the landing page. It concerns the use of the website and the various advertising packages.

Task group 7:            Steering

                                  Head: Dan Billig, Sharewell HDD BV

The first meeting to define the areas of responsibility will take place in March. 21 participants from different areas are working together in this task group.
Task groups (DCA-participation)

Task group 2E:            BGL 2025

                                    Head (DCA): Julian Hirsch, Bohlen & Doyen Bau GmbH

The work on BGL 2025 has been completed. The results have been published in book form and online. The association would like to express its gratitude to Julian Hirsch!


Task group 3E:           DWA-A 125

                                   Head (DCA): Marc Schnau, x-plan schnau eng. GmbH & Co. KG 

The task group will be continued by Björn de la Motte, de la Motte & Partner, as Dr. Tim Jaguttis has left the company.

Task group 4E:           DVGW Gas-/Water pipe crossing guideline

                                   Head (DCA) Jörg Himmerich, Dr.-Ing. Veenker Ing.gesellschaft mbH

Three meetings were held in 2025. Each module was revised in small groups. The DVGW now wants to submit the draft to Deutsche Bahn AG. The next meeting will take place in Hanover in March 2026.


Task group 5E:            DVGW GW 302-3

                                    Head (DCA)  Marc Schnau, x-plan schnau eng. GmbH & Co. KG

GW 321 has already been largely revised and transferred to GW 302. It was published as Part 1: Unternehmen zur Rehabilitation und Neulegung von Rohrleitungen. The GW 302-2, Grabenlose Bauweisen – Part 2: Rehabilitation von Druckrohrleitungen is available in draft form. Part 3 Neulegung von Druckleitungen – Verfahrenstechnik is in preparation.
DCA-Sponsorship program 

Head: Jörg Himmerich, Dr.-Ing. Veenker Ing.gesellschaft mbH

In the DCA sponsorship program 2024, Lars Hinken from Jade University of Applied Sciences in Oldenburg was funded for his thesis on the topic of  „Status quo und Anwendungspotenziale für Building Information Modelling (BIM) im Bereich Horizontalspülbohrverfahren. 

Sponsorship program 2025 - Two candidates are planned:

Timo Lemke, Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften in Suderburg: Bachelor's thesis „Gegenüberstellung von HDD und offener Bauweise – Entwicklung einer Bewertungsmatrix“. The thesis was submitted at the beginning of 2026..

Jonas Meyer, also Ostfalia Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften in Suderburg: Title „Gegenüberstellung von EPP und HDD bei der grabenlosen Leitungsverlegung – dargestellt an zwei Kreuzungsbauwerken im Projekt SuedLink“. The thesis was also submitted in early 2026

Sponsorship program 2026 – One application has been received:

Barend Voogt: TU Delft Civil engineering, specializing in Geotechnical engineering, master's thesis „Borehole stability during shore approaches“.
 
Lecture by Mathias Drücker, Tennet TSO GmbH

Mathias Drücker from TenneT TSO GmbH, an expert in energy policy, reported on the overall process of a grid development plan and the role of a transmission system operator, as well as the currently debated topic of underground cables vs. overhead lines.

"During the last legislative period, we realized that underground cables did not meet with the acceptance we had hoped for. They are also more difficult to operate than overhead lines and relatively expensive," said Drücker. According to TenneT's calculations, planning overhead lines for all DC projects not yet included in the Federal Requirements Plan could save €20 billion. Nevertheless, the discussion is very controversial, with models offering combination options also being discussed. However, Drücker emphasized that a “high and low” approach is the worst-case scenario in terms of planning, technology, and costs, and that a clear decision in favor of one of the two options is very important. All in all, the political opinion-forming process is not yet complete and is somewhat ambivalent between different political camps and regions. The decision will be made by the government in germany in the Federal Requirements Plan Act.
Reports of the Representatives (Panel discussion)

DCA representatives from the UK, Spain, France, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe were in attendance. Camila Sanchez Prado moderated the panel discussion. After a brief introduction about current HDD activities in each country, the discussion turned to interest in the DCA, regional events, and associations. Important projects and trends were also highlighted. Finally, each country made a statement about future activities.
Member figures
Since the 2025 members' meeting, a total of 29 new companies have been accepted into the DCA. By the beginning of February 2026, the DCA had 207 members. Of these, 87 are registered as regular members (HDD drilling companies) and 120 as associate members. All members, friends, and supporters of the DCA are called upon to continue to actively support the board and representatives in their recruitment efforts, especially with regard to regular members (drilling companies).

Please note: The DCA website has various industry directories in the members' area, in which the individual companies are listed accordingly (experts, planners, service companies, etc.). Please check whether our classification is correct. Multiple entries in different groups are possible. Please send any requests for changes or additions to the office. 
Board elections - Election of the 4th board member

Timo Mücke, managing director of Beermann Bohrtechnik GmbH, was elected as the fourth board member.
Change of statutes

The DCA statutes have been amended to allow for economic business operatons in the future, provided that they serve the achievements of the goals of the association. 
Preview events 2026/2027
30th Annual Congress Rome
The 30th DCA Annual Congress will take place in Rome from September 30 to October 2, 2026. The congress theme and program are currently still being finalized. Suggestions for presentation topics are welcome and can be submitted to the office at any time.

The event also offers a four-tier sponsorship program for the areas of “Communication,” “Networking,” and “Social Program” (platinum, gold, silver, and bronze sponsors). Platinum sponsorship is fully booked. There are still places available for gold, silver, and bronze sponsorship. If you are interested, please contact the office.

Registration for the event will be sent to you at the end of July 2026 via member information.
8th DCA-Members' Forum - 30.04.2026 - Further events

We would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the DCA Members' Forum 2026 (bilingual) on April 30, 2026, under the motto “Categorisation of HDD Drillings” at the Novotel in Aachen. A dinner is planned for the evening before, to which the DCA cordially invites all forum participants! Registration forms will be sent to all members at the beginning of March with one of the next member infos.
Further events
  • Trenchless Construction Conference, 05.-06.03.2026
  • Spring Talks, Novotel Aachen, 30.05.2026
  • Basic training for clients, planners, and authorities in Kassel, 08.12.2026
  • Further education according to GW 329 in Kassel, 09.12.2026
  • Members' Meeting 2027, Wardenburger Hof hotel, 03.02.2027
  • Oldenburg Pipe Forum, Oldenburg 04.-05.02.2027
DCA Forum HDD-Technology
Last but not least, the DCA has launched a platform on its homepage, especially for those who are unable to attend events on a regular basis (DCA Forum HDD Technology). All members can use the platform to discuss key HDD topics. The focus here is not on official DCA positions, but purely on the exchange of experiences between members.

Please use the QR code or link below to register. One of the forum moderators will then activate your account.

We look forward to lively participation.
If you have any questions about the individual topics, please contact our office in Aachen. (Dipl.-Geol. Antje Quante - a.quante@dca-europe.org).
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Angaben gemäß § 5 TMG // Information According § 5 TMG:
 
Verband Güteschutz Horizontalbohrungen e.V. (DCA)
Drilling Contractors Association
Association des Entrepreneures de Forage Dirigé
Charlottenburger Allee 39
52068 Aachen
 
Vertreten durch // Authorised to represent executive board:
1. Vorsitzender: Jorn Stoelinga
2. Vorsitzender: Marco Reinhard
Schatzmeister: Ronald Siebel
 
Kontakt // Contact
Phone: +49 241 9019290
Fax: +49 241 9019299
E-Mail: dca@dca-europe.org
Web: www.dca-europe.org