Features

Chinese manufacturer LiuGong has adjusted its strategy to meet the changes in the construction machinery industry Slow recovery from the global economic recession has impacted on the construction machinery industry. Intense regional, political and economic situations, low demand for resources, a decrease in emerging economies and conservative investment have led to a sharp decrease in demand for heavy machinery. LiuGong is tackling this using its refined initiative programme, however, and the firm sa

McCloskey is further developing its sales and support coverage with the addition of Ries Engineering to its global dealer network The Ethiopian dealer Ries Engineering S Co (RESCO) expands the McCloskey distributor coverage worldwide in a growing market. The dealer has already finalised deals with customers and intends to further increase the presence of the McCloskey brand across East Africa. “Having Ries on board will further strengthen our expanding distribution network in Africa. Ethiopia presents

Kids start to complain about the amount of time in a car after two 2 and 23 minutes of driving, according to research in the UK. Around that time, the driver will hear from the back seat the first of a long list of complaints: “Are we nearly there yet?” And by 2 hours and 37 minutes, angry rows have broken out. These squabbles are almost inevitable, noted the study from the UK’s Highways England. Nearly 80% of families say kids quarrel during long-distance summer trips. Many parents said this happens wi

A new road design can improve local water supplies. A new road design could help mitigate heavy flooding during rainy seasons and alleviate water shortages in dry periods. This innovative concept is a winner in the IRF’s Global Road Achievement Awards, in the Environmental Mitigation category. Road designs often exacerbate issues arising from heavy rainfall. However, a new initiative is making roads instruments for harvesting wate and for improving land productivity along the roads. The Roads for Water and

German manufacturer LINTEC has supplied three of its highly sophisticated, containerised asphalt mixing plants for use on the important BR-163 highway project in Brazil. This is one of several major plant orders for the firm for use in road projects in Latin America. According to LINTEC, its activity in this market is helping contribute to the construction of high quality roads that will last.

The first new airport constructed in Australia for 45 years is now open for business. The Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport in Queensland is located 17km to the west of Toowomba. The facility was completed at the end of last year by Wagners, an Australian family-owned construction company. Toowoomba lies in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, located 126km west of Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane. Toowoomba’s population of approximately 165,000 makes it Australia’s second-most populous inland city. T

An airport in Germany has seen the use of very innovative asphalt paving techniques, with the use of dual-layer, hot-to-hot working. The method was used to meet a very tight schedule for the runway rebuilding work, while also delivering the high quality required. Two InLine Pave trains from Vögele were used at Rostock-Laage Airport to lay a new surface and binder course. The operation was innovative as the process used both hot-to-hot, echelon paving as well as dual layer, hot-on-hot working. Using this

Yotta has developed sophisticated tools for winter highway maintenance. This technology can help local authorities to make better use of the Horizons visualised asset management software to assess potential winter maintenance works. The system provides a proactive approach that allows highways departments to address assets that are at risk from rain, snow and ice. The firm claims that this can help highways departments to deal with wet and icy conditions. Winter road damage is a great concern to Coun

Highways England, created out of the old Highways Agency, was set up on April 1 to oversee a closer relationship between government client and private contractors. World Highways went to a recent forum in London to hear both sides declare their hopes and challenges. Government reforms are often met with a certain amount of scepticism thanks to years of disillusionment over forgotten ministerial promises. Given that, highway contractors in the UK could have been forgiven if they had raised their eyes skyward