COMPANY NEWS
SELI-Kawasaki agree to extend collaboration
Aug 2010
SELI News Release
- With an eye on super-large diameter TBM tunnel project that will be coming up in European as well as in North and Latin American countries, SELI and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd have agreed an extension of their previous Collaboration Agreement.
- Under a document signed of 2 August, 2010 both companies stated that projects, that will take place in Spain and Portugal and which were excluded in the previous agreement, shall be included in the potential projects of SELI carried out on exclusive basis.
- In accordance with the initial collaboration agreement of April 15th, 2010, SELI and Kawasaki will combine the resources and experience on engineering and manufacturing as well as on field service and operation of TBMs and focus on EPB type TBMs in the range from subway tunnel diameter to the mega-sized machines.
Collaboration for new TBM supplier
Apr 2010
Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk
- A five-year collaboration agreement between SELI of Italy and Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan is planned to increase competition among the worldwide supply of TBM design, manufacture and supply and increase their shares in the TBM production market.
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- The move will combine the different resources and experiences of each. To the engineering and manufacturing process, SELI brings field service and TBM project contracting experience to the collaboration while Kawasaki contributes EPBM expertise and design and manufacture super-large diameter tunnelling machines. Kawasaki contributed to the early development of EPB concept more than 30 years ago and SELI, as a tunnel contractor and TBM manufacturer of more than 40 years experience, has worked on the development of double-shield TBM technology and continues its contractual leadership on challenging TBM tunnelling projects the world over.
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- According to a press release from SELI, the worldwide collaboration is centred on providing the market place with an additional supplier of EPBMs of subway tunnel diameter size to super-large diameter TBMs projects "which will be coming up in specially European countries and North/Latin America countries". It continues: "The joint agreement is not limited to collaboration on project-specific basis but foreseen also to incorporate cooperation on the development of new technologies and on the servicing of operating TBMs". It is planned that the new larger facilities at SELI factory in Aprilia, near Rome in Italy, will support the increase number of orders.
- The TBM supply industry has gone through various changes and developments over recent times. Lovat is now a fully owned group company of Caterpillar; WIRTH is a fully owned now by the AKER Solutions of Norway; NFM, previously owned by Wirth is now owned 70% by China's Northern Heavy Industry Group and 30% by former co-owner of Wirth Niko Kleuters, now based in China; and rumours are abroad that UK shield manufacturer and mining equipment supplier is for sale.
- Meanwhile Robbins has had associations with soft-ground TBM manufacturers in the past including with Kawasaki in the 1980s for supply of TBMs to the French side of the Channel Tunnel where they used early vacuum segment erectors, and a long association with Mitsubishi that has included supply of two EPBMs to the Delhi Metro, a bid for the Brisbane Airport Link in Australia (that Herrenknecht took and against further competition from a joint venture between Lovat and Kawasaki), and for the TBM that Traylor Bros has just finished using for the sewer tunnel drive in Sacramento, California.
- Herrenknecht maintains a full order book of TBMs for projects around the world and is working on development engineering of a super-super 19m diameter TBM for a highway project in Russia. It also rolled out its All Around Tunnelling Solutions concept at the recent BAUMA exhibition where the parent company and its 10 subsidiary group companies exhibited for the first time all together as one, presenting a single source for all components of a large TBM project including conveyor systems, forms and shutters, guidance systems, rolling stock and professional personnel.
- There have been frequent discussions about TBM manufacturers operating TBMs for customers and Robbins expanded into this field with the AMR project in India where it has supplied full operating teams to manage progress of the two 10m rock machines driving a 50km long water delivery tunnel. The other tunnelling contractor that designs his own tunnelling machines is Mike Shank of the United States who has his TBM design manufactured by Hitachi Zosen of Japan. The machine the contractor used for the sewerage tunnel project in Narragansett, Rhode Island and one that has just finished the New Crystal Springs water supply tunnel in Northern California were both designed by Shank and manufactured in collaboration with Hitachi.
- Announcement of the collaboration between SELI and Kawasaki indicates the growing demand in the industry for soft-ground TBMs and the need to expand capacity and competitive resources in the market place. Developments in the TBM design and manufacturing as well as innovations and operating fields will be interesting to track.
- Lovat+Caterpillar
Strategy for the future - TunnelTalk, Apr 2010
Wirth+Aker Solutions
100% take over of Wirth by Aker Solutions - TunnelTalk, June 2009
NFM
Change of ownership - TunnelTalk, June 2009
Dosco
Tunnelling machines at home and abroad - TunnelTalk, Oct 2009
Robbins+Kawasaki
Channel Tunnel machines - TunnelTalk
Robbins+Mitsubishi
Two EPBMs on the Delhi Metro in India - TunnelTalk, Jul 2008
EPBM bid for Brisbane's Airport Link design - TunnelTalk, Aug 2008
Sacramento sewer tunnel drive - TunnelTalk, Nov 2009
Herrenknecht
All Around Tunnelling Solutions - TunnelTalk
Lovat+Kawasaki
Bid for Brisbane Airport Link TBMs - TunnelTalk, Aug 2008
Shank+Hitachi Zosen
New Crystal Springs tunnel, Calirfornia - TunnelTalk, Oct 2009
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