Robbins has opened an office in Hong Kong to help push business development in the Asia Pacific region.
The company said the new operation – Robbins Asia Pacific Pty Ltd – will focus on expanding the regional EPB market and also support hard rock TBMs and small diameter boring.
Headed by David Salisbury, the new branch is in Kowloon and will cover East Asia and Australia but not China or India, as the company already has three offices elsewhere in Asia. The new branch will also cover the Middle East. Salisbury was formerly with Arup in Hong Kong.
The branch is to focus on sales, technical support and procurement. Going forward, it will be built up to also provide engineering, field service and other support. It is also to help the development of the company’s manufacturing facility in Guangzhou, which is due to be fully operational by the middle of next year.
Salisbury said: ‘Fabrication and procurement of components from local sources has the potential to make machine assembly quicker and more efficient.’ He also said that the location of other offices meant it was difficult to have rapid, face-to-face meetings with East Asian customers.