Vertical drains, also known as prefabricated vertical drains or wick drains, are made up of a plastic core surrounded by a geotextile that acts as a filter to prevent clogging.

Menard Vacuum™ is used to accelerate consolidation of cohesive, highly compressible soils. The process consists in creating a negative pressure under an airtight membrane laid over the soil, which generates atmospheric pressure on the soil, equivalent to the pressure exerted by a 4 metre embankment.