Earthmoving & soil compaction

Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe (HCME) is launching a new range of compaction equipment which includes rammers, vibratory plate compactors and rollers. Designed to provide both performance and durability, the new models are said to be easy to operate and maintain. The ZV-R series rammers feature low-vibration handles and are said to deliver powerful compaction forces as well as manoeuvrability.

A fleet of wheeled loaders is playing an important role at a site producing concrete in China. Located at Lintong in Shaanxi Province, in China, the site is producing concrete using gravel from river plains. Lintong lies 35km to the east of Xi’An in western China, the site of the famous Terracotta Army. This new army of SDLG wheeled loaders meanwhile is being used to load gravel from the nearby river plains for Jinsheng Concrete, which sits on the 800km Wei River.

Thimarafushi forms part of the Thaa Atoll lying in the Indian Ocean but access has been limited in the past. However the construction of a new airport planned by the Maldives Government will help develop the tourist trade, boosting the local economy. Most visitors previously used the country’s two international airports, using these as hubs for flights to the country’s six domestic airports. This has limited travel to only a few of the country’s 1,192 islands, of which around 200 are inhabited. As a result,

Komatsu Europe International is now offering the sophisticated D37EXi/PXi-23 bulldozer to the European market. The machine is equipped with Komatsu’s latest intelligent machine control technology and is said to perform both finish grading and rough dozing in full automatic blade control mode. This is the second intelligent Machine Control Komatsu dozer model available in Europe. Inside the cab, different modes allow the machine operation to be optimised to the application, while blade load settings are

Italy’s Il Caravaggio International Airport handles close to 9 million passengers/year, making it the country’s fourth busiest. Originally called Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport, it is a popular facility for low cost airlines as it is close to Bergamo and just 40km from Milan, as well as being convenient for other destinations in Northern Italy.

Located in Meeker, Colorado and serving the area for air transportation is Meeker Airport, a C-II general aviation airport. The FAA designation of C-II means the airport can accommodate aircraft with wingspan of less than 24m. Runway 3-21 at the Rio Blanco county-owned Meeker Airport had reached a point of wear and deterioration that required full reconstruction and upgrades to remain compliant with the FAA’s C-II requirements.

Equipment manufacturer Hyundai Heavy Industries has published optimistic results in the financial report for its construction equipment operations. The firm’s Annual Report 2013 said that the global construction market slowed in 2013 as economic uncertainty in the US and Europe continued and China maintained its tight credit policies to keep growth in check. In emerging markets such as the Middle East, Brazil, Russia, and Africa, falling international raw materials prices combined with a market slump in th