The Robbins Company has been engaged in the design and manufacture of tunnelling and mining equipment since 1951 when the company manufactured the world's first successful production TBM. Since then, Robbins TBMs have bored over 3,500 km of tunnel on more than 700 projects worldwide with machines ranging in size from 1.6m diameter to 12m diameter.
Led by President Loke Home, the Robbins Company is renowned for their very successful "floating gripper" design and hard-rock open TBMs. Robbins is also a pioneer in single and double shield machines. More specifically, 35 Double Shields have been built for 52 projects totalling 359 km of tunnel. The pioneering pilot boring of the channel tunnel between England and France was completed by Robbins machine.
In India too, Robbins India, which was only recently set up, is in the advanced stage of negotiations on several projects. The company is currently boring the Parbati tunnel for NHPC in Himachal Pradesh which is 9-km long and 6.8m in diameter. Here the company has achieved highest monthly excavation rate of over 560 meters in the most difficult Himalayan ground conditions.
Talking about future plans, Shyam Chengalath, Managing Director, Robbins India, says, "We are aggressively expanding our business in India and are confident we will maintain our leadership position in tunnelling systems through both hard rock as well as soft ground. We will be bidding for underground rail projects and river linking schemes also. We hope to be manufacturing selective sizes of TBMS in the near future within India."