News

The concession package for Colombia’s Toyo Tunnel project will be awarded in the third quarter of 2015. This has been announced by the authorities in Antioquia. The date has been set for September 28th for the concession to be awarded. The project will cost US$530.2 million, with the costs being split between the Medellin Council and the regional government. The 9.8km tunnel will help boost transport and trade between Medellin and Uraba. The regional government has launched a dedicated website with details

Strong interest in investment in Indonesian infrastructure is being reported. Work is starting on a series of major infrastructure projects. The groundbreaking for the trans-Sumatra toll road has been carried out. The toll road will link Aceh to Lampung and is one of a series of major projects commencing in the country. The Indonesian Government has increased its allocation for capital expenditure from US$12.03 billion to $22.36 billion for 2015. Infrastructure development in 2015 is expected to fuel the co

Plans are well in hand in El Salvador for a key bypass project. Approval has been given for a US$122 million loan for the San Miguel bypass. The loan will help finance the San Miguel road bypass, with the El Salvador Government contributing an additional $30 million towards the project. The construction work is expected to last around four years. In addition, official approval has also been given for talks with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) over a loan worth $115 million to finance the Pacific-

Engine firm Deutz has announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2015. The firm says that business performance is in line with expectations. The company has seen a decline in unit sales and revenue due to the effects of advance production of engines in the previous financial year. However welcome news is that it has experienced a five-fold increase in operating profit. The new orders received by the Deutz Group during the reporting period totalled €321.0 million, down by 22.5% from the previ

Compact construction equipment manufacturer Chicago Pneumatic has appointed BMI Group as its latest authorised distributor in South Africa This firm will boost Chicago Pneumatic’s support as it has wide experience in South Africa’s construction and mining sectors. The move will further develop Chicago Pneumatic’s growing presence in Southern Africa. The dealer has full access to the CP portfolio of handheld pneumatic, hydraulic and petrol-driven tools alongside compaction equipment, rig-mounted attachmen

Chinese firm Shantui has won an order for one of its compaction units from a customer in Algeria, while developing its operations in Angola An SR32R trash compactor was shipped from Shantui’s production facility in Jining, Shina to the customer in Algeria and the unit is said to be performing well. The company claims that reliability, durability, productivity and ease of maintenance are all features of this model. Shantui has supplied five of these units to North African customers over the past 12 m

Work on a new link connecting Kenya with South Sudan will commence in 2016. The US$956 million road project will run from Lesseru in Kenya to Nakodok/Nadapal, on the border with South Sudan. The 601km road will be an important road connection running the northern part of Kenya via Lokichar, Kakuma, Lodwar to Lokichoggio. The project will also include the installation of a 600km fibre optic cable. Some $500 million of the necessary financing is being provided by the World Bank, with a further $70 million bei

German contractor Joh. Sahler has changed its entire fleet of construction machinery to Hitachi Zaxis excavators. The two ZX38U-5s, ZX48U-3, ZX85USBLC-5, ZX145W-3, ZX170W-5 and ZX190W-3 were ordered by the Leverkusen-based company in June last year and delivered by the country’s authorised Hitachi dealer, Kiesel. Joh. Sahler was founded in 1945 and is now owned by a third-generation family member, Antonius Eisbach, and managed on a day-to-day basis by directors Dietmar Müller and Matthias Schindler. It has

Brazil’s Transport Ministry is to postpone 30 major projects due to budget cuts. The Ministry of Transport says that 30 projects that would have been launched in 2015 will now be postponed due to the reduced budget. The cut is estimated to be between 30% and 40% of the Ministry's budget, cutting up to US$2.04 billion in funding. Instead the Transport Ministry will now focus on projects that are already complete or close to being finished. However those projects considered to be of value to the national econ

In the first quarter of 2015, sales of construction equipment in the Italian market reached 1,605 units, a rise of 19% year on year. Sales of earthmoving machines were up 16% to 1,556 units and road machine sales jumped nearly 400% to 49 units. Paolo Venturi, president of Unacea, the Italian Construction Equipment Association, said the first quarter figures look promising and continue an upward trend that started last year. But there is still a long way to go because there has been an 80% loss of sales in

The Bolivian Government will spend some US$123 million during 2015 on a series of highway projects. The work will be carried out in the country’s eastern lowland Tarija Department, reports Business News Americas. Work commenced in 2014 on three highways in Tarija Department. These are the 66km Entre Ríos-Palos Blancos route, which is costing $83.4 million; the 45km Villamontes-Palo Marcado route costing $39 million; the 30km Río Isiri-La Central $32 million. The work is important to the country’s economy as