News

A series of measures carried out in Northern Germany have had a notable effect on improving road safety. The latest data available reveals that in 2012, the number of people killed in road crashes dropped by 17% compared with the previous year for the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Tougher police enforcement on speeding is reckoned to be a major factor in reducing North Rhine-Westphalia’s road fatality rate to 526, compared with 634 in 2011. The police data shows that the tougher enforcemen

Key infrastructure projects planned by the government in Laos will help improve the country’s transport connectivity. Heuangsy Construction is to rebuild a 132km road connecting Xanakham with Hinheup in a deal worth some US$168 million signed with the government. The project includes building a new border checkpoint at Vang as well as work to 19 bridges, and links to the Road No13 North and National Highway No11. Another key project being funded by the Laos Government is the $13.75 million bridge over the M

Plans are in hand for work to construct a new road to connect the newly independent South Sudan with Kenya. This 930km road will run from Eldoret in Kenya to Juba in South Sudan and is expected to cost in the region of US$1.06 billion. The 590km section running through Kenya between Elderet and Nadapal will cost in the region of $585 million while the 340km section between Nadapal and Juba in South Sudan will cost some $415 million. There will be additional costs to connect the road with existing infrastruc

Hatz will be showcasing its new line-up of C-series clear and trash water industrial pumps. The line-up ranges from small and lightweight one-cylinder Hatz diesel engine-powered trash water pumps with a capacity of 20 m³/h, up to clear water pumps with a capacity of 830 m³/h powered by a powerful four-cylinder diesel engine. The C-series pumps can, among a host of options, be equipped with a trolley, closed tubular frame or base frame.

According to Netherlands-based D-TEC, its novel new sorting and demolition grapples offer notable developments over competing units. This innovative product range is suited to excavators weighing from 0.7-50tonnes. Robust and durable, the grapples are said to combine heavy-duty construction with low weight.

Aimed at the 14tonne and 16tonne classes, the new Doosan DX140W-3 and DX160W-3 wheeled excavators are said to offer major performance gains over the models being replaced. As with the firm’s new crawler excavators, new cabs provide a more comfortable working environment, with improved controls and ergonomics and in-cab noise levels that are reduced by 5dBA. Both machines are powered by the proven Doosan DL06KB diesel, which delivers a 2% increase in power to 102kW and a 12% increase in torque over the previ

The new Cat 434F backhoe loader is solely mechanically controlled, while its fellow new backhoe model, the Cat 444F, is equipped with pilot joystick controls and can be fitted with either a 4.27m or a 4.87m backhoe. The upgraded machines are part of Caterpillar’s development of its equal sized tyre (EST) machine range in line with the rest of the F Series product family.

Caterpillar has developed its 312D/D L Series 2 excavator as a durable machine with low operating costs for sale in developing markets. Power for the 312D/D L Series 2 excavator comes from a Cat 3054C diesel rated at 67kW that meets Tier 2 and EU Stage II emissions regulations. The new model is available in standard and/or long undercarriage configurations, with operating weights from 12.9-13.9tonnes depending on the specification.

Sany America is offering a new 500 tonne class crawler crane aimed to fill a gap in its range that suits duties in infrastructure projects. The Sany SCC8500 is well-suited for construction of 100m wind towers and placing 2.5MW nacelles. The SCC8500 can make these lifts with a straight boom and an offset wind tip, with no need for a back mast. With a full complement of attachments and options, including fixed jib, luffing jib and the SANY UltraLift package, the SCC8500 can also be used in infrastructure proj