Powered by the Trades: A Milwaukee Tool Podcast

Recorded at PIPELINE™ 2025, Brandon Fredricks, Product Manager on the MX FUEL™ team, sits down with Riley Peterson, Product Manager on Milwaukee Tool’s P&E team, to talk about what’s changing, and what’s been overlooked, in underground gas utility work.  The conversation starts in the trench, walking through the real-world workflow of gas utility service and repair. Brandon and Riley discuss how crews move from cutting and breaking concrete to excavation, fusion, pumping water, and compaction - and why power access, emissions, and portability continue to create challenges on the jobsite.  Riley shares insight from years of field research behind the MX FUEL™ Electrofusion Processor, including why gas utility has seen limited innovation, how power dependency creates risk during critical fusions, and what contractors have been asking for when it comes to safety, serviceability, and uptime. The discussion also covers common jobsite pain points like generators in tight spaces, emissions collecting in trenches, and tools leaving the field for months due to service issues.  Brandon adds perspective from the MX FUEL™ system side, connecting how tools like cutoff saws, breakers, submersible pumps, rammers, and plate compactors fit into a single, repeatable underground workflow. Together, they explore how shared batteries, system compatibility, and reduced exposure to exhaust can impact productivity, safety, and day-to-day decision-making for utility crews.  This episode offers a firsthand look at how battery-powered systems are reshaping gas utility jobsites - not through specs or selling points, but through the realities of trench work, emergency repairs, and the need to keep crews moving safely and efficiently. Product Links:  MX FUEL™ Electrofusion Processor: Link to Product Page  MX FUEL™ 15' Electrofusion Leads: Link to Product Page  MX FUEL™ System: Link to System Page   Follow Milwaukee Tool on Social:  Facebook: http://ms.spr.ly/6059mpQbt  Instagram: http://ms.spr.ly/6050mpQbQ  TikTok: http://ms.spr.ly/6051mpQbv  Twitter: http://ms.spr.ly/6052mpQba