Doosan and Geax Partnership for Compact Drilling Machines

The partnership between Doosan and Geax, an international leader in the design and construction of drilling machines based in Montefano (MC) in Italy, continues to flourish.

Formed in 2006, Geax is the brainchild of Ing. Adriano Pesaresi, who after twenty years of experience as a designer in this sector, wanted to establish a new business with the aim of producing innovative and compact drilling machines, offering very high performance, thanks to the fact that they are based on excavators.

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In 2019, difficulties in procurement from regular suppliers prompted Geax to look for a new partner able to support the company globally.

Geax's choice fell on Doosan for the supply of excavators from 6 to 24 tonne (comprising the DX63, DX140LC, DX180LC, DX210LC and DX225LC base models), built with Stage V, Stage IV EPA and Tier III engines, so that they can be sold in markets in Italy and Europe, the Americas and the Middle East and Asia.

The excavators are supplied by Doosan without their booms and are transformed by Geax into drilling machines used to produce foundation piles up to 30 m in depth and with diameters up to 1.5 m. These complex drilling rigs are rigorously built in Italy, at the Geax headquarters in Montefano. The machines are then completely re-certified and distributed by the company all over the world.

Alessandro Baldazzi, Geax Sales Manager, says: “We needed a supplier known worldwide, reliable, with an international service operation. We carried out a survey with our customers to identify the preferred brand and Doosan was the best choice.”

The use of Doosan excavators as the base for the drilling machines has the advantage of being able to use the engine, cab, tracks and hydraulic system that guarantees maximum reliability, strength, very high performance and ensures superior quality in terms of ergonomics, comfort and noise. Furthermore, Doosan is able to guarantee an excellent and widespread support service, thanks to its global distribution network, which is able to intervene for any need for normal and extraordinary maintenance, repair and warranty requirements.

These compact drilling machines also offer the important advantage of being able to be transported easily without special permits and can work where other machines for large diameter piles cannot work, such as in confined spaces, on slopes, inside buildings and close to power lines. These machines have proved to be very successful in big cities such as Los Angeles, Sidney and Seattle, where every centimetre has an important cost, and it is particularly profitable to carry out construction works in small spaces, avoiding wasting time and resources through the use of oversized machines.

The biggest markets for Geax compact drilling machines are mainly Italy and the United States, but demand is also increasing in Australia, the UK, France, Germany and the Middle and Far East.

Geax took delivery of the first Doosan base machines in 2020, and the first completed drilling machines incorporating them were sold in 2021. To date, about 80 Doosan-based machines have been built, of which over 60 have been purchased and delivered all over the world.

Christian Randi, After Market Manager Doosan Infracore for Southern Europe, who is responsible for the development of the partnership with Geax, says: “Geax products based on Doosan machines, were presented to our distribution network first of all as a great opportunity to develop more and more our presence in international markets and to combine our image with that of another established and world leading company. Furthermore, this partnership represents an important opportunity to highlight our excellent service network available all over the world. The perspective is to continue to be a reliable partner for Geax, supplying 80% of the machines necessary for their annual production. Thanks also to the continuous support of our Service Manager, Antonino De Carlo, and of one of our Korean engineers, which has been fundamental to identify the best configuration of the machines to be used by Geax.”

Marco Buratti, Doosan Infracore Sales Director for South-Western Europe, adds: “The partnership with Geax responds to the company´s strategic direction to strengthen our presence in Special Applications markets, important niches that help the process of continuous improvement of the reliability and durability of our machines. We also offer thanks to the continuous exchange of information and feedback from such a qualified and appreciated company on the market such as Geax.”