A High-Pressure Trade: State of the Concrete Industry

Keith Armishaw, business development manager - North America - at Aquajet, shares his insight into the state of the concrete industry and the challenges contractors are managing daily. Concrete Contractor connected with Armishaw over email in June 2025.

Q. What have been the biggest challenges for concrete contractors so far in 2025? 

Keith ArmishawAquajetContractors continue to struggle recruiting skilled workers for concrete demolition and removal work. Chipping and jackhammering is tough work and takes a big crew, so this is a time for us to show how implementing modern technology can help. Modern machines have made incredible strides to become faster and easier to use with more automated functions than ever. High-pressure water, of course, has to be handled carefully, but hydrodemolition reduces the safety challenges associated with handheld equipment, such as the physical strain and exposure to silica dust.

Q. What segments of concrete construction have seen growth in 2025?

Right now, there is strong investment in the energy sector, and part of that investment involves repairing/rehabilitating existing structures. That’s where our customers come in, providing hydrodemolition services for concrete removal. We have customers who are preparing for major renovation projects on dams and even some wind farms where they are repairing concrete on wind turbine bases. 

If you think about a dam spillway, for example, there is a lot of concrete, and it’s not the easiest to access with equipment. We have many different tools to help contractors take the high-pressure water jet — and its high productivity — to the most seemingly inaccessible locations. Hydrodemolition has been gaining momentum in these areas due to the quality of the repair and its ability to extend the structures’ lifecycle, which is a critical priority for asset owners.

Q. How are contractors handling economic challenges?

With any kind of economic uncertainty, it’s common for contractors to proceed cautiously with major investments. Some newcomers enter the industry with the smallest hydrodemolition system, which has a lower price point and uses less water. Once they gain some experience and start building a reputation for their new service offering, they graduate to larger machines. The Ergo has often been the product of choice for getting into hydrodemolition and is still a great choice. However, we have another option now with the launch of the Aqua Cutter 450 series. The new machines share a lot of the same features and benefits as the Aqua Cutter 750V, which brought all new patented technology to the industry — only they are smaller, in a fully electric package.

Q. How have contractors been impacted by tariffs? Can you provide some examples?

Tariffs are creating uncertainty in the market. From a manufacturer standpoint, it’s overall harder to manage the process from point of purchase to delivery. Smaller companies really struggle to absorb those extra costs, so in turn, it affects pricing. Tariffs have certainly had a negative financial impact.

Q. What do you expect the biggest challenge(s) will be in 2026 for the concrete industry? 

For concrete removal, it’s still fairly common to see crews out with jackhammers. Based on several metrics, hydrodemolition has proven to be a quicker way to complete this work while adding years to the life of the repair. One area we still need to make strides in is educating contractors and engineers who still look to manual methods for concrete removal and repair. There are more productive ways to complete this work that will give them stronger results and take less of a physical toll on workers. Given what it does for structures and for the contractors completing the concrete repairs, we would like to see it as more of a standard method for concrete removal and repair jobs.

Q. What are the latest changes for Aquajet?

Aquajet is constantly gathering feedback from customers and using that feedback to develop new machines that address day-to-day challenges on the jobsite. We had two big releases this year: the Aqua Cutter 450 series and Aqua Rail System 3.0. The fully electric 450 takes the same Evolution 3.0 control system and patented Infinity oscillation found in the Aqua Cutter 750V to a smaller, highly maneuverable and fully electric package. 

The Aqua Rail System 3.0 is designed to enhance the capabilities and flexibility of contractors’ hydrodemolition robots when they’re working in challenging environments. Not every project is going to be straightforward flatwork, so this system equips contractors with an adaptable, ready-to-use setup for areas like tunnels, bridges, silos and dam spillways. Everything in the system is fully customizable, so contractors can tailor it to make their unique and challenging concrete removal and repair jobs easier.

These machines open new doors for what concrete contractors can accomplish with hydrodemolition. Putting our most advanced technology in the compact, electric 450 series allows them to take hydrodemolition robots where larger machines can’t go. And the Aqua Rail System 3.0 provides unmatched flexibility for their most challenging hydrodemolition projects.