Cavico Applies Raise Climber and Reaming Technologies with Robbins 61R

Cavico Corp., a leading infrastructure development company in Vietnam, today announced that the Company’s subsidiary Cavico Bridge and Underground Construction purchased Robbins 61R, a state-of-the-art piece of equipment used in hydropower projects, for $1.1 million.

The Robbins 61R is manufactured by Robbins of USA. It is considered to be one of the most updated pieces of equipment with the latest technologies used in the fields of mining, tunneling, and hydropower. It is capable for both inclined shaft tunnel and vertical shaft tunnel drilling. Two of its main functions are raise drilling and straight reaming, which help to make openings for ore passes, ventilation shafts, surge tanks, and emergency escape routes. Robbins 61R has a pilot drill bit of 11 inches, reaming drill bit of 72 inches, and reaming hole diameter of 23.6 inches to 70.9 inches. With the application of this technology for drilling inclined shaft tunnels, vertical shaft tunnels, and surge tanks at hydropower projects, the Robbins 61R is capable of drilling up to 500 feet in a month, compared to present technologies which require approximately six months time for drilling up to 330 feet of straight reaming. The use of Robbins 61R reduces the drilling time, the number of laborers, and also provides increased safety for workers at the site.

Robbins 61R is the third of its kind in Vietnam and has a listed price of more than $7 million. Cavico has purchased the rebuilt unit with a five-year loan from Hoang Mai Agriculture Bank, which provided financing for 75% of the $1.1 million purchase price.

“We have a long tradition of procuring branded, high value and state-of-the-art equipment. We continue to focus on managing our projects in the most efficient manner and on providing safer working conditions for our laborers. We invest in the latest heavy machinery and equipment to achieve results that exceed our clients’ expectations,” commented Mr. Hai Thanh Tran, Vice President of Cavico Corp. “We plan to put this technology in use to drill the vertical shaft and two surge tanks at the A Luoi project in central Vietnam. We will also utilize the Robbins 61R for construction at the ?am’bri, ?acMy 4, and Nho Que hydropower plants. We estimate that the use of Robbins 61R will bring down about 40% of drilling labor costs. We believe that this technology will further simplify the drilling process, improve our efficiency on projects, and optimize Cavico’s labor and time resources invested in the hydropower projects,” Mr. Tran said.

Cavico Corp. is focused on large infrastructure projects, which include the construction of hydropower facilities, dams, bridges, tunnels, roads, mines and urban buildings. Cavico is also making investments in hydropower facilities, cement production plants and urban developments in Vietnam. The company employs more than 3000 employees on projects worldwide, with offices throughout Vietnam and a satellite office in Australia.

Founded in 2000, Cavico is a major infrastructure construction, infrastructure investment and natural resources conglomerate headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam. Cavico is highly respected for its core competency in the construction of mission-critical infrastructure including hydroelectric plants, highways, bridges, tunnels, ports and urban community developments. One of the Company’s primary competitive advantages is its ability to nurture a project “from concept through completion” with a vertical portfolio of interrelated investment, permitting, design, construction management and facility maintenance services. Cavico’s project partners include top multi-national corporations and government organizations. The Company employs more than 3,000 people. For more information, visit http://www.cavicocorp.com.