Skip to main content

Chinese tunnel projects discussed

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, recently visited the Herrenknecht plant in Guangzhou as part of her trip to China. The delegation included, among others, 20 high-level representatives of German industry, and Dr Martin Herrenknecht, chairman of Herrenknecht, presented the company to Chancellor Merkel and Premier Wen, and talked about important Chinese and international reference projects.
May 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Seen in front of the Herrenknecht EPB Shield being used for the Metro in Dongguan are visitors to the company's plant including (second from left) Dr Martin Herrenknecht; Dr Angela Merkel (third from left) and Wen Jiabao (fourth from left)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People’s Republic of China, recently visited the 2592 Herrenknecht plant in Guangzhou as part of her trip to China.

The delegation included, among others, 20 high-level representatives of German industry, and Dr Martin Herrenknecht, chairman of Herrenknecht, presented the company to Chancellor Merkel and Premier Wen, and talked about important Chinese and international reference projects.

In addition, he introduced a tunnel boring machine (TBM), an Earth Pressure Balance Shield with a diameter of 6.95m, which is being used to construct the Metro Line 2 in Dongguan.

Herrenknecht has been represented on the Chinese growth market since the delivery of the first machines for the construction of the Beijing metro in 2000, and the company generates around 20% of its group sales in China.

The huge economic growth and increasing urbanisation result in a high demand for efficient underground traffic and supply infrastructures, and to date Herrenknecht technology has been used in 275 projects, mostly for inner-city tunnel construction. Some 480km of tunnel tubes have been built using its technology, while a further 200km are being planned.

Among the most important projects is the construction of two double-storey traffic tunnels in Shanghai to connect Changxing river island with the mainland, work carried out using two of the world’s biggest TBMs with diameters of 15.43m each.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Shantui broadening operations
    November 26, 2012
    Chinese firm Shantui is best known for its well-proven bulldozer range, which it started manufacturing 30 years ago, although the company has since diversified its product line.The company is China’s leading producer of bulldozers and claims around 70% of the home market for these machines although it also exports a significant percentage of its production run. Shantui’s senior consultant for Global Marcoms, David Lightle said, “We’ve been exporting for 25 years.” Exports form an important part of the compa
  • German construction equipment industry’s sales rise 8 per cent
    February 18, 2015
    German manufacturers of construction equipment reported an 8% rise in sales, amounting to €8.4 billion. The level was higher than expected and equal to sales in 2006, according to the Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Association (VDMA). However, the VDMA, part of the German Engineering Federation, suggested that company profits may not have risen along with sales and tough times remain ahead. “Turnover is one thing, profit is another,” Joachim Strobel, deputy chairman of VDMA, said.
  • China banks on the Belt and Road Initiative
    October 8, 2019
    Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is capitalising on its well-established equipment and componentry manufacturing base as China’s global Belt and Road Initiative gathers momentum.
  • German firms see improving market share
    March 1, 2017
    In 2016, German manufacturers of construction equipment achieved a turnover of €9.3 billion, an increase of 3% compared to 2015. Of note though is that the same period, global sales of construction equipment declined by 1%. German companies managed to perform better than the world market and develop market share. In 2017, they expect another increase in sales by 3%.