There will be up to US$45bn of investment in European tunnelling projects over the next ten years – well worth investing in, according to research carried out by construction equipment manufacturer CAT.
Talking to T&TI, Peter Stauffer, regional construction project manager for CAT in Europe, said that the rapid growth in infrastructure development is expanding the tunnelling industry in Europe. CAT has spotted this trend and has invested heavily in its tunnelling division.
“There is unprecedented tunnelling activity in Europe. Over the next ten years, we’ll see 1,300km to 1,500km of tunnels being built, at an average spend of $25M to $30M per km,” Stauffer said. “Transportation keeps countries mining.”
CAT posted sales and revenues of US$20.45bn for 2001, and increase of US$245M on 2000. In the next three to five years, the company aims to generate sales in excess of US$30bn.
Part of CAT’s success is its extensive dealer network, operating over 1,840 branches around the world. It is this network that Stauffer wants to utilise to develop the company’s tunnelling capability in Europe. And he is having considerable success. “Winning work comes down to getting known within the tunnelling industry,” Stauffer said. CAT has already delivered a fleet of excavating equipment to one of the world’s most prestigious projects, the 57km long Gotthard high-speed rail tunnel in Switzerland.
Stauffer also believes that it is important for manufacturers to aim to provide a single source of tunnelling equipment. “In the long term we may come together with a drilling company like Atlas Copco,” he said.
“That maybe a little premature to say so at the moment, but it is certainly at the back of my mind!”
