The specialisation of TRENCHLESS ASIA means that the event is aimed at a very focused market. In 2004, nearly 100 companies from 13 countries were showcased and visited by nearly 2,000 visitors, 85 per cent of which came from mainland China, with the remaining 15 per cent from the Asia Pacific region and further afield.
The show is actively supported by the China Shanghai Society for Trenchless Technology, the China Hong Kong Society for Trenchless Technology, the International Society for Trenchless Technology and their affiliated member societies who have members actively promoting to the China market – including the ASTT.
The China Market
The use of Trenchless Technology in China has progressed at a rapid pace, particularly in the last ten years. In 1995 there were two companies manufacturing HDD equipment and now there are at least ten. More than 100 contractors are engaged in trenchless construction, using more than 800 HDD machines. Around 300 of these have been introduced in the past two years.
Trenchless technology is known to be actively used in more than 100 cities, particularly in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. Achievements in the field of HDD are competitive at world levels, undertaking some of the most ambitious projects in terms of complexity, diameter and distance. The biggest HDD rig in the world is now in China.
There are huge opportunities for business in China. The number of cities using natural gas in 2005 will reach 148 and this figure is projected to rise to 270 by 2010, involving the installation of some 7,000 km of new pipelines. Trenchless Technology has been applied to a major gas transportation project, the West East Gas Pipeline, with more than 500 crossings of rivers, railways and highways.
In Shanghai, the first gas pipe was laid in 1864. Now the total length of underground pipelines exceeds some 30,000 km and expansion, renewal and new installation are increasing steadily. With the support of the Shanghai municipal government, a series of measures and regulations are in place to promote trenchless technology in urban construction. In 2001, the proportion of projects using trenchless techniques was around 4 per cent and in 2005 it will exceed
12 per cent, and is projected to rise to 24 per cent by 2010.
Conference
A two day conference program will be held alongside the Exhibition, providing engineers with an opportunity to learn about the applications of various trenchless techniques, while addressing the challenges particular to the Chinese market. Technical papers will present technology and techniques used in all aspects of planning, management, evaluation and design, new installation, repair and rehabilitation. Case studies illustrating examples of projects undertaken in the region will also highlight the challenges, solutions and benefits of using trenchless techniques.
Site Visits
On the final day of the event, conference delegates will be invited to join a site visit program to see utility contracts in progress. This part of the program will be planned and announced near to the date of the event.
TRENCHLESS ASIA 2006 is organised by Westrade Group who launched the first NO-DIG Exhibition and Conference in London in 1985. During the past 20 years, the company has experience in organising NO-DIG and TRENCHLESS events in the UK, Middle East and Far East.