Robbins opens new manufacturing facility in Shanghai
Trenchless Australasia — March 2007
Robbins opened a new manufacturing facility next to its offices in Shanghai, China in late 2006. The workshop joins other Robbins manufacturing facilities in the United States in Ohio, Washington and West Virginia.
The new workshop will eventually become a fabricating shop for a complete line of Robbins products, including TBMs and SBUs.
The new workshop was built specifically for industry-related fabrication and machine assembly. Currently, the facility is being utilised for TBM assembly for projects in the region.
The new facility will provide a regional source for Robbins products, in addition to the current facilities in both the US and Europe. The Robbins team in China will eventually have the ability to fabricate the complete line of Robbins products for the Chinese market — everything from TBMs to Robbins trenchless products such as small boring units and auger boring machines.
“Assembly in China will still take a standard approach,” said Lok Home, President of The Robbins Company. “We will procure sub-assemblies and technology from North American and European sources. Our main task will be to meet Robbins’ consistent high standards for all of our equipment.”
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The workshop will expand the reach of Robbins China, which has been a fully operating company for the past 15 years. “We see China as a primary market for development in the tunnelling industry,” said Steve Smading, Product Development Manager. Several projects have already been planned for assembly in the workshop, and Robbins China is continuing to supply parts and labour for new projects both regional and worldwide.
Since the workshop’s completion, workers have begun the assembly of a 3.5 m diameter Main Beam TBM, electrical cabinets, hydraulic, and lube systems for a project in Hong Kong. The TBM will bore two short tunnels of 244 m and 165 m without a conventional back-up for a drainage and landslide prevention project on a very steep hill directly above Hong Kong’s central business district.
Robbins unveils new website
It has been a busy start to 2007 for The Robbins Group, with the company also unveiling a new website.
The new website has been completely redone, and features detailed information that cannot be found elsewhere, including in-depth project reports and detailed explanations of Robbins’ trenchless products and how they work. The website is aimed at a wide audience, from experienced contractors to consulting engineers to students.
The Products section includes comprehensive information on all of the trenchless products Robbins offers, including auger boring machines. A list of specifications and a discussion of the unique features and benefits of each product will help visitors decide if the capabilities of a particular product are right for their needs.
For further information on SBUs and motorised SBUs, Robbins has provided a new Project Solutions section, which includes case studies on actual projects that have used SBUs. The case studies, searchable by diameter or machine type, discuss topics including geology, ground conditions, excavation details, and machine specifications. The News & Information page, updated monthly, also provides further information on all Robbins projects and products, ranging from 24 inch to 47 ft in diameter. For answers to project-specific or technical questions, there is a complete list of product managers to contact directly.
