Every city enters a new budget cycle with the same challenge: do more with the same dollars. Or in many cases, fewer. Public works directors, infrastructure managers, and utility supervisors are under pressure to modernize systems, reduce downtime, and respond faster to emergencies…all while keeping crews safe and compliant.
But year after year, one issue quietly drains budgets faster than almost anything else in underground work:
Cities are forced to overspend on trench boxes that don’t match the jobs they’re actually doing.
Departments end up:
- Buying oversized steel boxes “just in case”
- Renting specialty systems for odd-shaped trenches
- Losing full workdays waiting for the “right” equipment to arrive
- Burning labor hours wrestling heavy, outdated shoring into place
- Splitting budgets across multiple systems that never integrate
The real budget leak isn’t the trench,it’s the lack of versatility.
KUNDEL’S municipal lineup fixes that from the ground up.
A Smarter, Budget-Savvy Approach: One Fleet. Three Solutions. Zero Waste.
Cities don’t need more equipment, they need equipment that works across every project, every department, and every soil condition. KUNDELl designed the B3 Steel, ShoreLite Aluminum, and V-Panel System to solve the core issue most municipalities face: trench protection that adapts to the work instead of forcing the work to adapt to the equipment.
B3 Steel Trench Box (Basic 3): The backbone for major municipal work
- Engineered for deep, heavy-duty, and long-duration trenching
- Ideal for sewer replacements, stormwater projects, and high-load zones
- Built to last decades, reducing long-term capital drain
- Becomes the city’s core system: predictable, durable, dependable
Why it matters for budgets:
This is the “buy once, rely forever” piece of the fleet. Cities eliminate the need for multiple heavyweight boxes by investing in one dependable workhorse.
ShoreLite Aluminum: The lightweight solution that saves time and payroll
- Perfect for small digs, utility emergencies, and short-term repairs
- Light enough for crews to maneuver without heavy equipment
- Ideal for alleyways, tight spaces, residential areas, and quick-turn jobs
- Cuts labor time dramatically and keeps emergency calls moving
Why it matters for budgets:
Most city trench work isn’t heavy-duty, it’s small, fast, and urgent. ShoreLite keeps crews efficient, reduces fatigue, and eliminates unnecessary steel deployment.
V-Panel System: The game-changer for narrow, irregular, or urban trenches
- Tailored for congested downtown corridors and unpredictable excavation shapes
- Panels flex to contour the trench, fitting what steel or aluminum can’t
- Eliminates the need to rent specialty shoring systems
- Ideal for curbside repairs, valve boxes, driveways, and utilities in tight corridors
Why it matters for budgets:
This single system wipes out thousands of dollars in annual rentals and eliminates downtime for “odd” jobs that typically stall crews.
The Result: A Unified Trench Fleet Designed for Real-World City Work
Together, these three systems form a cohesive, cross-department solution that solves the big-budget problem cities face: over-purchasing equipment that rarely gets used.
With Kundel’s modular, scalable lineup, municipalities can:
- Reduce capital waste
- Simplify purchasing across departments
- Respond faster to emergencies
- Eliminate specialty rentals
- Improve crew efficiency
- Standardize training and compliance
- Stretch budgets further every year
This isn’t just trench safety. It’s strategic municipal planning built into every piece of equipment.