Ditch Witch’s Orange Intel platform is moving beyond telematics to create a fully integrated, data-driven jobsite built for today’s underground utility demands.
More than a telematics platform, Orange Intel connects the entire workflow from pre-inspection and rod-by-rod drill planning to as-builts and post-inspection reporting.
“It was a long time coming. The machines continue to get way smarter,” said Cory Maker, Ditch Witch Product Manager.
Through API-enabled data sharing, the system ties together horizontal directional drills, Subsite locating equipment, mud and fluid cleaning systems and mapping platforms such as Utiliview and Esri to create a single, unified ecosystem.
“For utility contractors managing complex jobs across multiple sites, that connectivity translates into clearer visibility, stronger documentation and better decision-making in real time,” Maker said.
Orange Intel allows contractors to personalize dashboards and alerts, track fuel usage and idle time, monitor productivity and automate preventative maintenance scheduling.
“Every widget that’s on the landing page is customizable by size, location, everything for different fleet managers, whatever the different use case may be,” Maker said.
Regulatory compliance requirements are also changing how Ditch Witch organizes and delivers data. In some regions, contractors must submit detail reports of their work before they are paid.
“On a drill shot, you could have 10,000 data points from one shot. We use a form of AI to lay that out better and then automatically build a report from it,” Maker said. “With some of these projects, the engineers that are making a (regulatory) requirement don’t understand the data.”
Integrated GPS tracking and geofencing enhance fleet security, while centralized access through MyDitchWitch streamlines collaboration between field crews and office teams.
Today, Orange Intel brings those capabilities together in a single platform designed specifically for underground construction.
As Ditch Witch designs and engineers its technology in-house, the Orange Intel system is purpose-built to support the unique demands of utility installation contractors.
As jobsites become more data-driven, contractors need more than isolated machine tracking, they need connected intelligence across every phase of the project lifecycle.
How that data is accessed and used is also evolving. For example, at ConExpo Maker was able to help a customer in British Columbia diagnose an issue with a machine.
From the Ditch Witch ConExpo booth, Maker reviewed data in near real time to diagnose the issue.
“We were able to get into the parameters and go down through all that, show them everything, and then we had a technician out there within 30 minutes to fix the problem. I mean, it was impressive to see, like, how we could leverage that.”
Since the introduction of Ditch Witch’s JT/AT40 in 2017, telematics capability has been standard across its drill lineup, delivering proven performance and years of real-world data integration experience.
With data now flowing in from wherever a Ditch Witch machine is active, the company can now study how their products work in various environments to improve research and development.
“We build all of these in Perry, Oklahoma. We don’t have the same conditions to test them in as the places they end up,” Maker explained.
“The next generations of equipment will be built off the data that we’re getting. There’s so much evolution going on right now, and the technology piece of it is really what’s leading the charge for all of that.”
