As CEO of Trenchless Supply Inc., John Sanzone has a simple goal: Provide customers with the best trenchless technology equipment and training on the market.

Sanzone’s experience with such solutions began when he launched the drain division of his father’s plumbing company in Harbor City, California. He quickly tired of performing excavation work in order to complete repairs and started diving into more research on trenchless alternatives like pipe lining. That eventually led to the formation of Trenchless Supply Inc.

Cleaner recently spoke with Sanzone about the company’s equipment and training offerings, as well as what he sees in store for the company and the industry in the future. 

CLEANER: Tell us a little about the history of Trenchless Supply Inc.

Sanzone: Trenchless Supply Inc. was started in January of 2021. I really wanted to focus on training and consulting. Helping contractors be successful was my No. 1 goal. For example, there are cities around us that have outlawed lining. This is due to installers who don’t have knowledge or training.

You would have these situations where someone would overshoot into the city and they would leave the material there, or they would collapse a liner and people wouldn’t know what to do. After that, the city just outlawed it entirely. Lining and spray lining can be great tools with a properly trained installer who can address potential issues. What I wanted to do was focus on this and become service- and training-forward. This was the main driving force behind me starting Trenchless Supply Inc. 

CLEANER: What differentiates your pipe lining equipment from the competition?

Sanzone: There are a lot of companies that have opened up lately that are selling pipe lining equipment, and a lot of them sell the same things. Maybe it’s because it’s a big brand, or it’s a popular item to sell. We decided to go an entirely different direction. I wanted to focus on: What is the relationship that I have with this manufacturer? What is the quality like? How much control do I have with these partner companies?

If I see changes that need to be made, and my customers see things that need to change, I want that to happen. Some of these other companies aren’t willing  to work with you on that level, and we really wanted to better the industry and better our customers in any way possible. Going with a “popular” brand isn’t always the best way to achieve  this.

CLEANER: What sort of needs do they address? Tell us about your best sellers and what applications they best serve.

Sanzone: There’s a lot of equipment out on the market currently. One of our most popular items would be the SprayPoxy system. It’s portable, lightweight, can be easily transported, and you aren’t wasting material in the process. That’s a huge benefit compared to some of our competitors’ products where you may find yourself wasting more materials, taking longer times to dry, etc.

Our system is able to cure in 45 minutes. You’re using an epoxy — not a polyurea — so there’s still adhesion. The waste is a big factor during this process. Imagine doing a 65-foot line and you have to throw away your hoses every single time. That’s a big deal. That’s a lot of epoxy you’re throwing away every single coat. Our system allows you to wash the spray head and static mixer, and you can cap your hoses to achieve virtually zero waste.

CLEANER: What are some recommendations for customers shopping for pipe lining/rehab equipment?

Sanzone: The biggest thing to keep in mind when you’re looking for products and equipment — especially if you’re new to the industry — is build a relationship with the company that you plan to buy from.

If you start buying one-offs here and there, you don’t have a relationship with any one person. If you have a good relationship with a company and they treat you well, you’re more likely to be better taken care of. You’re also going to be able to probably get some sort of status with that company, and it will help you in the long run.

Do your homework: How knowledgeable is the staff? Are they just salespeople or have they actually been in the field? There are a lot of great companies out there, and I would like to say that we’re one of them. If you have a great relationship, that is awesome. That’s the No. 1 step I would say to make. The second step is, depending on the product that you’re purchasing, how well does that company do with that product? Is it a secondary or third level product for them that they offer just to make some extra sales? Or is it something they push, promote and train on? That’s huge. For example, someone could have a great descaling machine, but when it comes to lining they have no knowledge. You probably shouldn’t be buying those kinds of products from them.

CLEANER: Tell us a little about your training program.

Sanzone: We want to implement a multi-level training that incorporates real-life scenarios. This will allow you to retain more knowledge and understand more. Stay tuned in 2023. We will be launching a program with our premier trainer, Tuomas Möttönen from Boldan Pipe Technologies. So that is something to look forward to.

CLEANER: How do you see the pipe lining industry evolving?

Sanzone: I see the pipe lining industry vastly changing. You take this system and now you’re adding science and tech behind it. It’s really cool to see everything come together. Where people used to only cure by ambient temps, now you can eliminate working time and cure by UV light.

What people will see as UV comes more into play, there will be different nano waves and things that you have to take to labs to see what your resin cures at best. Even in some of our units, they have Wi-Fi apps to record to. You didn’t have that years ago. I am excited to see where the industry goes in the next 10 years. 

CLEANER: What’s new for Trenchless Supply Inc. in the next year? What can customers expect in the future?

Sanzone: We have a lot of new things coming. We are always moving to that next level and thinking about how we can innovate and stay ahead of the curve. One of the things that will set us apart is our comprehensive training program that we will be unveiling. We will also have a community for our installers, where they can communicate with one another. Our products will be more readily available across the map. West Coast, East Coast and Midwest markets will be able to benefit from having our product available in a timely manner.

CLEANER: What do you want your customers to think of when they hear the name Trenchless Supply Inc.?

Sanzone: When our customers hear the name Trenchless Supply Inc., I want them to think quality. Quality first. We didn’t skip any steps when launching these products to our customers.

I also want them to think service. I specifically took people that were not from the industry because I didn’t necessarily care about anything else except service. I wanted my customers to know that they’re taken care of whether it’s day or night or the weekends. That’s service. For us to pay someone extra to come in on a Saturday, that’s worth it to us.