Rainer Dunst, Managing Director of LAYJET Micro-Rohr Verlegegesellschaft m.b.H., has just come back from a multi-day demonstration tour in Germany. At the company headquarters in Ebersdorf, Austria, he helps himself to another coffee (after driving through the night), before enthusiastically talking about demonstrating his solutions. "We presented our technology live at several locations near Regensburg," says the 52-year-old. "We had employees from road-maintenance depots there, as well as network providers who wanted to get a first-hand look at our system."

What's so revolutionary about the LAYJET system? The technology was developed by road construction experts from Styria, Austria, together with DW-Tech, Graz University of Technology and Vienna University of Technology, to make sure the cables were laid smoothly in the verges without affecting the roadway itself. More than two years of work were spent on the development. Several patents were filed by the state of Styria in Austria. The LAYJET solution has been in official use since 2017 and speeds up the laying process many times over. The laying unit is a Fendt 936 Vario with cable drums on the front of the tractor and the LAYJET milling cutter at the rear.

It all started with the client having a dilemma. "While the Styrian state government office, Division 7, is responsible for maintaining the route network throughout the region, it was also commissioned by Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer to expand the existing road network," says Rainer Dunst. We have protect the road but need to damage it first by laying the cables. The state officials addressed this challenge and, with machine builder Wolfgang Dunst (Rainer's brother), and the involvement of the Technical University of Vienna, developed LAYJET technology. This unique solution soon gained a foothold on the market. The existing three milling systems are already fully booked for 2019.

Specialist personnel are absolutely necessary when implementing LAYJET, as generic conditions such as the ground, road structure and routing must be taken into account. The new technology is under ongoing development, so staff training takes place every two months. The result proves the pioneers from Styria right. "With our LAYJET method, we are on average 10 times faster than with conventional technology," says Rainer Dunst. "If an excavator works 200 m to 300 m per day, we can use our method to lay up to three kilometres a day. With the right general conditions, such as ground structure and routing, we can even lay up to 5 kilometres.