News

IJM, one of Malaysia’s largest construction conglomerates, has bailed out of a deal to buy the highways concession business SILK. SILK Holdings, owner of the subsidiary SILK, Sistem Lingkaran-Lebuhraya Kajang, and IJM agreed to end the US$118 million takeover deal that was announced in June, the Sun newspaper reported. SILK holds the concession for the 37km Kajang Traffic Dispersal Ring Road, also called the Silk Highway, until 2037. The road opened in 2004. IJM noted in June, in its filing of intention

Financial close has been reached for expansion of the A9 motorway near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. BNG Bank, DZ BANK, ING, KBC, SMBC and Société Général have made available a short-term debt of US$174 million (€140 million) and half of the long-term debt of nearly $509 million (€410 million). The European Investment Bank will provide the other half of the long-term debt. Mott MacDonald is the lenders’ technical advisor to the consortium IXAS Zuid-Oost, which has the public-private contract to expand

Serbia’s Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure has approved a merger between the public-owned roads companies Putevi Srbije (Roads of Serbia) and Koridori Srbije (Corridors of Serbia). Putevi Srbije maintains roads while Koridori focuses on construction planning and project management, including expropriation of land. The government said the merger will contribute to faster completion of projects such as stretches of Europe’s Corridor 10 and Corridor 11 road networks and hopefully red

Caterpillar is offering its new 326D2 excavator for sale into markets such as Africa, Middle East and the CIS. Maximum operating weight of 26.345tonnes for the non-ROPS variant, with power from the Tier 2/Stage II Cat C7.1 engine rated at 140kW. The machine is equipped with a three-stage fuel filtration system for optimum protection of fuel-delivery components. Features include cross-sensing hydraulics for greater efficiency, robust major structures for long-term durability, ergonomic cab for increased

The Topcon Positioning Group has acquired German console manufacturer Wachendorff Elektronik and its US subsidiary Wachendorff Electronics in a private transaction. Wachendorff Elektronik and Wachendorff Electronics are leading manufacturers of in-cabin mounted consoles for the industrial vehicle market in the agricultural and construction industries. Ray O’Connor, Topcon Positioning Group president and CEO said, “This acquisition is a key ingredient of our global strategy to strengthen our ability to serve

Kobelco Construction Machinery has posted its semi-annual results for the 2014 financial year. The results give grounds for caution as well as some optimism however. In the Japanese hydraulic excavator market, a significant decline was expected initially in response to the impact of last-minute demand in the previous financial year. However, the decline was less than expected owing to strong domestic demand. As a result, the total domestic demand for heavy hydraulic excavators in the first half decreased by

In Chile plans are well in hand for a series of major infrastructure projects, with the work likely to help boost the country’s economy. The Ministry of Public Works in Chile (MOP) has announced that it will speed up the process for key infrastructure construction projects. Those projects involving investments of around US$1.10 billion should be approved by 11th March 2015. The Ministry of Public Works has indicated that three private concession contracts have already been approved, including the dual-carri

Algeria’s national motorway agency (ANA) has revealed that the cost of the East-West motorway amounted to US$13 billion rather than the $12 billion originally planned. The cost of maintenance is between $23.65 million and $35.5 million/year. Before the end of 2015, road information signs providing real time information are expected to be set up. In all, 48 tollbooths and 22 maintenance and operation centres are already in place. The cost of the tolls have yet to be set. Meanwhile, the construction of a 120k

The organisers of the INTERMAT 2015 event in Paris are bullish about the potential success of the show, with more than 1,000 brands already registered as exhibitors. Those present at the exhibition include 38 out of the top 50 leaders in the construction equipment market worldwide. These include: CNH Industrial, Doosan, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Hyundai Heavy Industries, JLG, John Deere, Kobelco Construction Machinery, Komatsu, Kubota, Liebherr, Liugong, Sany, Shantui, Terex, Volvo Construction Equipm

"White lines don't do it"

India’s construction sector is well positioned to take advantage of business opportunities when the government moves to revitalise the frail economy, as visitors to this year’s bC India show will find out. New roads, power plants, airports and other infrastructure have been promised by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his Bhartiya Janta Party comes off a May election with a clear majority.

LiuGong Machinery, a Chinese manufacturer of heavy equipment, had more than 500 dealer representatives from 80 countries attend the company’s 11th annual global dealership conference. The event was held this month at the Liuzhou International Exhibition Centre in Liuzhou, in north-central China, home of LiuGong. The company, which had global sales US$2 billion in 2013, also held demonstrations of its equipment. LiuGong was set up in 1958 and sold more than 43,000 units last year. In 2011, Cummins and LiuG

JCB has celebrated 35 years of manufacturing in India with the opening of two factories in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, just outside the capital Jaipur. Despite the Indian construction equipment market declining this year by 20%, JCB said it has invested US$92 million to build the factories – the UK-based group’s largest single construction project in its 69-year history. JCB said the plants covering around 47 hectares on a single site will have almost 93,000m2 of manufacturing space and when full

Mayalsia’s Transport Ministry has revealed a reduction in the fatality risk rate on the country’s road network. The country's road death index has dropped from 4.51/10,000 registered vehicles in 2004 to 2.9/10,000 registered vehicles in 2014. Between 2004 and 2013, road crashes were the cause of death for 65,850 people in Malaysia, with the costs estimates at some US$23.6 billion. While risk of being involved in a fatal road crash in Malaysia has fallen, the fatality rate remains of concern. Between January