Features

Chinese firms are now gearing up to tackle the quarrying market - Mike Woof writes. One of the key developments of note for the bauma China exhibition in late 2014 was the number of Chinese manufacturers now looking to compete in the quarrying sector. Also of note was how Western manufacturers are also taking the emergent markets seriously, developing machines to counter this increased competition from China. In many cases Western manufacturers have partnered with Chinese firms, bought out Chinese companies

Recycled asphalt use is growing in some markets - David Arminas writes. The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement in the US increased during 2013 after two years of no rise, according the latest report from the US National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA). The report found that more than 73 million tonnes of reclaimed asphalt pavement and 1.7 million tons of reclaimed asphalt roofing shingles were used in new asphalt pavement mixes in the US during in 2013. Using recycled asphalt material saved about $2 bill

Manufacturers are making advances in stabiliser/reclaimers and milling machines - Mike Woof reports. The market for milling equipment is a competitive one, with a range of companies from around the globe now offering machines for this segment: BOMAG, Caterpillar, Dynapac, Roadtec, Volvo CE and Wirtgen. In recent years a number of Chinese firms have entered this segment and determining the number of machines these companies manufacture is difficult, although most of their units are sold in China. But interna

SANY Road Machinery says that its machines offer customers a very good return on investment - Mike Woof writes. SANY Road Machinery looks set to boost its profile outside of China. The company has been focussed on the Chinese home market in recent years, due to the massive highway expansion programme in the country. However with 80% of the country’s highway construction programme now complete, SANY Road Machinery is looking to further develop its export business. Wang Zuochun is senior vice president at SAN

New material placer being introduced by G&Z – Mike Woof writes. Guntert & Zimmerman is now lifting the wraps from its new MP550 material placer, having announced last year that design work was underway. This machine is designed to boost throughput and overall productivity on site, while being versatile, easy to maintain and service and offering low running costs. According to the firm, the MP550 is the most versatile material placer on the market as it can handle a wide variety of concrete slumps as well as

Italian firm Marcantonini has had significant results in delivering concrete batching equipment and concrete distribution technology to the concrete production segment in Romania. These fully insulated plants have met tough requirements with regard to output as well as sustainability. The firm says that its plants are designed to high standards to ensure the production of high quality concrete while optimising efficiency. The plants are said to offer functionality, practicality, ease of maintenance and low

Wirtgen is introducing a new concrete paver range, the SP90 series. These models will replace the existing SP80 series as well as the SP850. Four basic models have been announced at present, the SP92, SP92i, SP94 and SP94i, although with the range of options and features available, the capabilities offered will be extensive. Paving widths for the machines now range from 2-9.5m, increasing the maximum width and allowing these units to handle a wider array of slipforming tasks than the earlier SP80 Series mod

In the US, a specialist contractor is making savings with new 3D technology for concrete paving. US contractor Gehring Construction is a specialist in concrete paving and is a long-time customer of GOMACO. Having bought its first GOMACO unit in 1973, Gehring has a good deal of experience in this segment. The company is now using some of the latest machine control technology, having bought a Topcon Millimetre GPS 3D stringless system, which has been used on a bypass project around the US city of Colombus. T

Carthage International airport upgrade – Mike Woof writes. Improvement works are being carried out at one of Tunisia’s major airports in a move aimed at improving capacity. A key component of the work is the upgrading of the runways and taxiways at Tunis Carthage International Airport (TCIA), allowing the facility to handle larger aircraft as well as higher volumes of air traffic. The work is being carried out by ETEP, which is building the new infrastructure to the latest international standards for runway