Plant Equipment and Hire October 2018 | Page 10

WORLD NEWS AEM chairman Rich Goldsbury, AEM president Dennis Slater, and the AEM DC staff welcomed industry colleagues to the opening of its new offices on 30 July. “We had an excellent turnout and were excited to host our industry partners, friends, and AEM DC representatives at our new office location,” said Slater. “We want our new office to raise the profile of our association and be the gathering place for industry ideas and actions to support our industry sector here in Washington.” Guests included key customer group leaders who took the time to visit and talk about key issues such as trade, tariffs, and infrastructure. The Open House featured a decorated room of Wisconsin memorabilia and ‘Taste of Wisconsin’ snacks and refreshments. AEM members are encouraged to visit the new AEM office at 1300 I Street, NW, on any future trip to the nation’s capital. Nepal’s first tunnel boring machine (TBM), a 5.06m-diameter Robbins Double Shield, is living up to the nation’s high expectations. The TBM, supplied in summer 2017 for the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP), recently bored over 1 000m in one month and has been averaging an impressive 800m per month. The project is owned by the Government of Nepal’s Department of Irrigation (DOI) and operated by contractor China Overseas Engineering Group Co. Ltd Nepal Branch (COVEC Nepal). The decision to use a TBM for the BBDMP project — designated by the government as one of Nepal’s 11 National Pr