News

Topcon Positioning is broadening its solutions to the construction sector with a combination of partnerships and acquisitions. The firm has acquired a significant share of Finnish design software specialist Viasys VDC, adding to its portfolio of (BIM) technologies. This firm offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services for building Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) models for infrastructure and site-work projects. The VDC models from Viasys can be used to optimise the construction process through

Turkish construction equipment manufacturer Hidromek is expanding the capacity of its production facilities at its headquarters in Ankara. This follows on from developments to its factor in Izmir, which makes its backhoe loaders, as well as its assembly facility in Thailand. The company has bought a site of 1 million m2 close to its existing facility, located in an industrial zone close to Turkish capital Ankara. The factory expansion forms part of Hidromek’s strategy to develop its profile in the global co

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, has met with road safety and road victims groups to discuss the future of European road safety targets. Representatives of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) discussed a campaign calling for a new European target to reduce serious road injuries, alongside an existing target to reduce deaths by half by 2020.

Kohler Engines is preparing its dealer network for further emissions regulation with increased training, including the use of its iService multimedia platform. The company offers service training courses throughout its network, in branches, distributors and authorised workshops. In addition it is offering distance learning through the iService portal. This combines the traditional viewing of service manuals with interactive content including 3D movies. This can be accessed on computers, tablets and smartpho

Massenza is broadening its range of capabilities with the acquisition of the Strassmayr business. This deal adds a wide array of road repair equipment to the Massenza line up. The firm offers innovative systems for repairing roads such as the Patcher STP 1008 and Thermo Container AC 8000E. Also added to the Massenza range are the RWK 600/500H cracksealer and SFF 12 milling machine as well as the BF 290 road widener and R7500 C vario surface repair machine for use on larger projects.

An important new highway connection is being planned in the Czech Republic. The road will provide a link between the D8 Teplice highway and the Chomutov expressway. The Czech Transport Ministry has given its approval for an allocation of €166.55 million to the country’s Central Bohemian region for the construction work on the link road. However the project will still have to be approved by the Czech Government. Should the work go ahead, the project will be split into three phases, with construction of the f

Malaysia’s Federal Government and Sarawak State Government have agreed to construct a bridge in Sri Aman. The new bridge will span the Sungai Batang Lupar waterway in Sri Aman. The work will be managed and funded on a 50-50 basis by Malaysia’s Federal Government and the Sarawak State Government. In addition, construction work on the Pan-Borneo Highway is now underway. This major project is expected to cost around US$3.95 billion and will improve transport between Malaysia and its neighbours, helping boost e

A new agreement has been signed that will improve transport links between West African nations. The agreement for the new Lagos Dakar highway has been made by the Economic Community of Western States (Cedeao). In all five memoranda of understanding (MoU) were signed by Cedeao with the Chinese construction and public works company CGCOC Group. These MoU encompass the trans-western African coastal highway, as well as telecoms infrastructure, local civil aviation, railway links and the construction of the new

Egis is now working on a new contract for Vindhyachal Expressway Private Limited (VEPL) on India’s National Highway 7. The three year concession is for the 73km National Highway 7 (NH-7), which connects the main city of Rewa and Hanumana of the Indian federal state of Madhya Pradesh. Egis is in charge of toll collection, route patrolling and incident management and routine maintenance of a section of the stretch (40 km) with one toll plaza of 6 lanes.

The Italian manufacturers of construction machines are seeing positive developments in market demand for off highway equipment. In 2015, construction equipment sales in the Italian market increased by 34% to 9,138 units, compared to the previous year. The sales results show that 8,813 earthmoving machines were sold, a growth of 32%, while 325 road machines were sold, a growth of 180%.

A new report by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) shows that older motorists favour tighter health and ability tests on the over-70s to drive. The IAM report, Keeping Older Drivers Safe and Mobile, shows that most older drivers agree with tighter rules on checking health and suitability, even if those checks could take them off the road themselves.